Iconic British developer Lionhead Studios is closing its doors for the last time today, in the process ending 20 years of game development. The studio was founded in Guildford by Peter Molyneux in 1996, and later the company was sold to Microsoft following the success of Fable.
Last month Microsoft cancelled Fable Legends, the studio's 4vs1 online title. Now, after failing to find a potential buyer, Lionhead has been shut down.
"We can confirm that after much consideration over the six week consultation period with Lionhead employees, we have reached the decision to close Lionhead Studios. We have nothing but heart-felt thanks for the team at Lionhead for their significant contributions to Xbox and the games industry", Microsoft said in a statement sent to Eurogamer.
With some great games including Black & White, and of course the Fable series, it's a sad day for British game development to see such an influential studio close its doors for the last time. We hope all those affected by the closure find work soon.