Microsoft has canceled Fable Legends and closed down Lionhead Studios.
Microsoft has announced that the long-gestating free-to-play Fable Legends has been canceled and that the publisher is "in discussions with employees about the proposed closure of Lionhead Studios."
The five-player action RPG, which was based on the Fable RPG series, had been in development since 2012, and had recently launched a closed beta this year that will run through April 13. No further plans were announced for the future of the Fable franchise.
If closed down, Lionhead would become yet another big-name studio to be shuttered after being bought by a major publisher. Lionhead was founded in 1996, born out of Bullfrog Productions, creator of the famous god game Populous, after it was purchased by Electronic Arts. (We should note that EA shut down Bullfrog in 2001.) After leaving Bullfrog, legendary developer Peter Molyneux joined Lionhead and ushered in the era of Fable, which stands as the studio's biggest hit in its twenty-year history. Microsoft bought the company in 2006.
Microsoft also announced that Press Play Studios, creator of indie games Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Kalimba, would also be shuttered.
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It was announced in January that Lionhead's Fable RPG series is to become an MMO, and there's now been an update on what we can expect from it.
Following the overwhelming MMO trend, Fable Legends will be free to play, Lionhead has revealed. The RPG, which will allow up to four players to team up against a dungeon master-like fifth player, will use a two-tiered cash system. Playing the game will earn you silver, which can be spent on both vital equipment and cosmetic items. Alternatively, you can exchange real-world cash for gold, which is obviously a more valuable currency than silver.
Despite this two-tiered approach, Lionhead says that "everything in Fable Legends that affects gameplay can be earned by simply playing the game." Though, of course, shelling out for gold coins will let you get your hands on the game's most useful items more quickly.
Fable Legends' other source of revenue will come from its characters. Four characters will be available for free when you boot the game up, and these will be rotated on occasion, forcing you to select another one. This means that, even if you've selected and made a certain amount of progress with one character, it'll be taken away from you until it's rotated back round again, and you'll have to continue with a different character.
While all your progress will be saved as you play through the game with each character, we can imagine the system being a bit jarring. Naturally, if you're willing to pay to unlock your favourite character, they're yours to keep forever.
There's a video below which introduces Fable Legends' free-to-play trappings, and gives a little look at the game itself. Lionhead says that it wants to keep the game fair for all players, which we hope it can achieve. As always, it's all about getting the balance right.
Fable Legends is coming to PC and Xbox One soon. It's currently offering sign-ups for its beta phase.
