Fable Legends Cancelled As Microsoft Plans To Shut Down Lionhead Studios

     Fable Legends developer Lionhead Studios will be closed down, Microsoft has revealed. The Black & White studio, based in Guildford, UK, has stopped development on Fable Legends and will shutter in the near future.

“These have been tough decisions and we have not made them lightly, nor are they a reflection on these development teams – we are incredibly fortunate to have the talent, creativity and commitment of the people at these studios,” said Microsoft Studios Europe general manager Hanno Lemke.“I speak for all of Xbox when I say that despite this news, we remain committed to the development communities in the UK and Europe, and Xbox will continue to support new IP and originality in the games we offer on our platforms, whether they’re AAA blockbusters like Quantum Break from Remedy, adventurous new IPs like Sea of Thieves from Rare, or unique new creations from independent developers like Moon Studios with Ori.”

      Fable Legends is currently in beta with an open beta planned for this spring, so we were only a matter of months away from its launch. It’s been announced  as an early proponent of DirectX 12 and was set to unite PC and Xbox One gamers with its cross-platform play. Fable Legends looked to flip the irreverent RPG franchise on its head with asymmetric multiplayer, as teams of up to four adventurers took on player-controlled dungeon masters who could set traps, place enemies, and generally be a bit of a nuisance.
      There's also the small matter of Fable being one of the most popular IP in the Xbox stable. Only Halo and Forza have shifted more copies, beating out even the likes of Gears of War.  It's sad to see them go, whatever you thought of its more recent output.