--- description: Another video games studio founded by industry personality Peter Molyneux appears to be on the verge of closure. title: Microsoft Just Killed a Hotly Anticipated New Game image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4da279d333339124/698880798e060179bc464e9a/fable-legends.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Microsoft Just Canceled the Next _Fable_ Game by [Matt Peckham](/author/matt-peckham/) ## Matt Peckham Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 7, 2016 4:07 PM CUT  Lionhead / Microsoft by [Matt Peckham](/author/matt-peckham/) ## Matt Peckham Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 7, 2016 4:07 PM CUT Another video games studio founded by industry personality Peter Molyneux appears to be on the verge of closure. Microsoft writes in [a surprise Xbox wire post](https://news.xbox.com/2016/03/07/microsoft-studios-changes-uk-denmark/ "undefined") March 7 that longtime Xbox One exclusive _Fable Legends_ has been cancelled, and that it’s “in discussions with employees about the proposed closure of Lionhead Studios in the UK.” Note the operative word in that last sentence is “proposed,” so the lights aren’t off yet. But with _Fable Legends_ yanked from the studio’s lineup and nothing else we know of in the pipe, it’s hard to imagine the studio soldiering on. Lionhead arrived on scene in 1996, formed by Molyneux after he left U.K. studio Bullfrog, where he led development of quirky, genre-upending games like _Populous_, _Syndicate_, _Magic Carpet_ and _Dungeon Keeper_. Lionhead continued in a similar vein with Molyneux-ish efforts, like the god-game _Black & White_ and the popular fantasy roleplaying _Fable_ series. After Molyneux left in 2012, the studio turned its attention to _Fable Legends_, an Xbox One exclusive intended to bring the _Fable_\-verse online in a “four good guys versus one bad guy” cooperative action-roleplaying game. Microsoft adds that it’s “working closely with those affected by today’s news to find them new opportunities at Xbox, or partnering with the broader development community to help place them in jobs elsewhere in the games industry should they desire.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4249560/microsoft-just-canceled-the-next-fable-game/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4249560/microsoft-just-canceled-the-next-fable-game/"},"headline":"Microsoft Just Canceled the Next Fable Game","datePublished":"2016-03-07T16:07:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:49:36.825Z","description":"Lionhead's four-versus-one action roleplaying game for Xbox One is no more","url":"https://time.com/4249560/microsoft-just-canceled-the-next-fable-game/","keywords":["Tech","Video Games","xbox One","Microsoft"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4da279d333339124/698880798e060179bc464e9a/fable-legends.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Matt Peckham","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/matt-peckham/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4da279d333339124/698880798e060179bc464e9a/fable-legends.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"fable-legends","caption":"","creditText":"Lionhead / Microsoft","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4249560/microsoft-just-canceled-the-next-fable-game/","name":"Microsoft Just Canceled the Next Fable Game"}}]}] ```