Microsoft purchases Lionhead Studios

[Titanio]

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-06-2006/0004335087&EDATE=

Lionhead's Hit Franchise 'Fable' Surpasses 2 Million Unit Sales Milestone

REDMOND, Wash., April 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Game Studios
(MGS) today announced it has purchased U.K.-based Lionhead Studios, one of the
world's leading and most innovative video game developers and creators of
"Fable(R)," the hit Xbox(R) and Windows(R) franchise.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )

Lionhead Studios will immediately begin creating content exclusively for
the Xbox 360(TM) and Microsoft(R) Windows platforms. The companies previously
worked together on the popular role-playing games "Fable" for Xbox and "Fable:
The Lost Chapters" for Xbox and Windows, which have collectively surpassed the
2 million global unit sales milestone, making "Fable" the best-selling role-
playing franchise on the Xbox platform. "Fable" and "Fable: The Lost Chapters"
enable players to make decisions that affect their character's skills,
appearances and morality and the world around them.

"At Microsoft Game Studios we have worked hard to become the best partner
for the best creative talent in our industry, and this acquisition underscores
our commitment to excellence," said Shane Kim, general manager of Microsoft
Game Studios. "Peter Molyneux is one of the few true visionaries in our
industry, and his joining us is incredibly important to the future of both
interactive entertainment and MGS. Lionhead is a shining example of the
innovative and creative talent that has delivered some of the most influential
and unique games experiences to date, and I am honored to welcome Peter and
the incredible people at Lionhead Studios."

"We could not be more excited about being part of MGS. They have long
supported our creative vision, and this teamwork resulted in the hugely
successful 'Fable' franchise," said Molyneux, managing director of Lionhead
Studios. "This acquisition gives Lionhead the stability and opportunity to
focus on creating world-class next-generation titles. We are joining some of
the most incredible game creators in the industry, the combined talent of
which will truly take next-generation gaming to a new level."

With today's announcement, Lionhead Studios becomes the latest member of
MGS, joining such prestigious and globally recognized game creators as Bungie
Studios, Ensemble Studios, FASA Studio and Rare Ltd. on a team whose charter
is to create exclusive entertainment experiences that differentiate Xbox 360
and Windows from other gaming platforms.

I'm glad to see MS bolstering their first party effort. But I just hope things will be business-as-usual, so to speak, as far as Molyneux's focus on PC versus console - although it was already skewing toward the latter.

 

[-NakedZ-]

There goes the innovation...j/k...or am I? LOL. BTW, are they talking about Xbox and PC combine sales? I'm not sure if this is big news, kinda meh to me. Don't know how other feels though.

.Z

 

[Titanio]

They're referring to combined sales, for Fable.

It doesn't change a whole lot, in that Lionhead basically only made PC and Xbox games anyway, but it does make the partnership official, and prevents them from straying. But would they have really strayed?

And Molyneux knows all about 'straying' after big corporate buy-outs Seriously, it'll be interesting to see if he stays with Lionhead in the longer term, or if MS has contractually obliged him to stay for a certain period or whatever.

 

[London Geezer]

There goes the innovation...j/k...or am I? LOL. BTW, are they talking about Xbox and PC combine sales? I'm not sure if this is big news, kinda meh to me. Don't know how other feels though.

.Z

That's what i was wondering. I was surprised at the title saying Fable sold 2M copies, but then in the article it states:

"Fable" for Xbox and "Fable: The Lost Chapters" for Xbox and Windows, which have collectively surpassed the 2 million global unit sales milestone

So that's really 3 games on 2 different platforms selling 2M copies all together. Bit less impressive, but the title does say that "the Fable franchise sold 2M copies"...

 

[Nicked]

There goes the innovation...j/k...or am I? LOL. BTW, are they talking about Xbox and PC combine sales? I'm not sure if this is big news, kinda meh to me. Don't know how other feels though.

Well its being rumoured for ages now, and Lionhead pretty much only develop for PC/Xbox anyway, but maybe this will help them access (intellectual) resources they weren't previously able to?

 

[Serenity Painted Death]

This is totally meh. Fable was a disaster (albeit one that sold well). Both Black & White games, like Fable (though not so spectacularly)... hell, like all his games since time immemorial... somehow managed to get insanely overhyped and then completely underwhelm.

 

[Platon]

Not so surprized and not to excited either. Sure, Fable is a franshice that can be milked but apart from that I don't see what Lionhead have to offer. Don't get me wrong, I do think that they are talented and I still think that Molyneux is a great developer, although he should cut down on the talking and do more walking, but generaly the games that they make are not really so very console oriented. B.C. could have been something great and they might start working on that again, but games like The Movies or God games in general I have a bit of doubt that they will attract console gamers, and I guess they need to become a bit more effective pumping out games. Wait and see I guess...

 

[Nicked]

This is totally meh. Fable was a disaster (albeit one that sold well). Both Black & White games, like Fable (though not so spectacularly)... hell, like all his games since time immemorial... somehow managed to get insanely overhyped and then completely underwhelm.

Well, TBH, Fable got alot of its hype from Molyneux himself. He promised far too much (and what he promised was really exciting..at the time) and delivered far too little.

Decent game though. Solid, not spectacular.

 

[Serenity Painted Death]

It wasn't his fault. It was the ever stellar "gaming media." My god, we already had the "OMG LOL MASTURBATE B&W IS THE BEST GAVE EVER" hype... OOPS! (everyone fell for it again for B&W2). I mean, they'd played the game, they knew better.

How does, for example, IGN respond? Fable: The Greatest Preview of ALL TIME (100 pages~~)

The game was in development for a few aeons too, which is why the sickening shortness of the game and utter lack of anything much to do were that much more insulting.

It wasn't a solid game by any means. It did have fairly interesting combat though (and it looked good).

 

[Platon]

This is totally meh. Fable was a disaster (albeit one that sold well). Both Black & White games, like Fable (though not so spectacularly)... hell, like all his games since time immemorial... somehow managed to get insanely overhyped and then completely underwhelm.

I do agree, that Fable was not what was promised and sure the developers can be balmmed for a lot of those promises, but I also think that many "promises" were just fan fiction from forums and stuff and that the developers were quite open about their developent talking about features that they were currently testing but never made into the game, so a lot of what was promised wasn't really promised.

Furthermore, it seems that people that did not go to forums and stuff and knew not so much about the game, really enjoyed it and thought it was great, while for people like us it was a game that did not live up to what we were expecting...

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Well, TBH, Fable got alot of its hype from Molyneux himself. He promised far too much (and what he promised was really exciting..at the time) and delivered far too little.

That's what I expect from Molyneux though. I think he has good, original ideas, but the final execution never edns up as good as the promise sounded.

It wasn't his fault. It was the ever stellar "gaming media."

Well Molyneux admitted he spoke up too much, and said he'd hold back on his excitement in future. I think he's like Kutaragi in that respect. He has a vision, is excited for it, and talks with passion, perhaps quixotically, but the reality doesn't always live up to their excitement when the prosaic limitations of reality prevent their dreams being realized.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

I really liked Fable. It didn't live up to the hype, but it was a solid gaming experience. It was pretty fun wading through guys, mixing up sword and spell combinations. The game was just too ambitious for Xbox. Fable 2 should be an excellent game.

 

[expletive]

That's what I expect from Molyneux though. I think he has good, original ideas, but the final execution never edns up as good as the promise sounded.

Thats really a great way to put it. What i do like about him though, as you said, is that he's original and has the street cred to take chances. Let him go do his thing and maybe he'll hit one out of the park. (sorry, baseball started again in the states )

EDIT: Who wants to take bets on how long before we hear a "The power of the 360 will now finally allow me to reach the visions ive always had for my games" quote?

 

[Sis]

Personally I think it's a mistake. Lionhead doesn't offer them anything mainstream except for the Fable license--which, maybe that's the sole reason for the purchase. If Molynuex is true to form, in a couple years he'll quit MS and form another company.

 

[London Geezer]

Personally I think it's a mistake. Lionhead doesn't offer them anything mainstream except for the Fable license--which, maybe that's the sole reason for the purchase. If Molynuex is true to form, in a couple years he'll quit MS and form another company.

Heh, they splashed out hundreds of millions for Rare, and i still have to see the return in the investment, both in quality and economically.

 

[Sis]

Heh, they splashed out hundreds of millions for Rare, and i still have to see the return in the investment, both in quality and economically.

MS should stop wasting money on UK developers.



(I kid! I kid! I love Lionhead games, just feel it's a poor decision from a console perspective. And I also strongly believe the Viva Pinata game from Rare will be mega-huge. But seriously, if any UK developers are offended, I was totally joking...)

 

[expletive]

MS should stop wasting money on UK developers.



(I kid! I kid! I love Lionhead games, just feel it's a poor decision from a console perspective. And I also strongly believe the Viva Pinata game from Rare will be mega-huge. But seriously, if any UK developers are offended, I was totally joking...)

Well along the same vein as Viva Pinata, games like "The movies' are very well aligned with MS' broader audience strategy (couldnt you see people sharing their clips all over XBL?). If nothing else, the purchase should get them a more diverse portfolio of "8/10" level games, if not a AAA title. In the end, its not money and i dont know who else out there would have been a 'better' buy for them.

 

[c0_re]

Wasn't Black and White PC game of the year just a few years, ago? Oh yea thats right now their owned by Microsoft they are meh right? How is this anything but great news for Xbox fans?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

B&W was original in concepts, but flawed to the point it was broken. The creature became a PITA, and after the first couple of levels it was very repetitive. It's the sort of thing that's really appealing in a short introduction, but wears thin very quickly.

 

[c0_re]

B&W was original in concepts, but flawed to the point it was broken. The creature became a PITA, and after the first couple of levels it was very repetitive. It's the sort of thing that's really appealing in a short introduction, but wears thin very quickly.

That doesn't change the fact that it was a very highly acclaimed game, that poepel are al of a sudden dismissing. Whatever happened to B&W 2 anyways, did it fall off the map or what?