Lionhead Studios

Lionhead Studios was a British video game developer based in Guildford, England, founded in July 1997 by Peter Molyneux, Mark Webley, Tim Rance, and Steve Jackson. A breakaway from Bullfrog Productions, the developer Molyneux had previously co-founded. Lionhead is best known for the Black and White and Fable franchises. Microsoft acquired them in 2006 and closed them in April 2016. The studio’s name came from Webley’s hamster.

Lionhead Studios Origin Story

From Bullfrog to Lionhead

Peter Molyneux founded Bullfrog in 1987, acquired by EA in 1995. He left in July 1997 after Dungeon Keeper, reportedly following a night of drinking that ended with an accidentally sent resignation email to EA’s CEO. The studio was briefly renamed Redeye Studios when the hamster died, but that name was taken so they reverted to Lionhead.

Lionhead Studios Games

Black and White (2001)

A god game published by EA where you are a god competing against rival gods for villagers’ worship, managing a creature with genuine AI personality. A commercial and artistic success that established the studio’s reputation for ambitious creative designs.

Fable (2004)

Originally developed by satellite studio Big Blue Box, absorbed into Lionhead before release. A morality-based action RPG set in the fantasy world of Albion. Well received despite being scaled back from Molyneux’s original promises. Became Lionhead’s most important IP.

Fable II (2008) and Fable III (2010)

Both published under Microsoft following the 2006 acquisition. Fable II is considered one of the best games of the Xbox 360 era. It certainly is memorable for me, when I started streaming it, I was in the middle of a heart attack and had no idea.

Fable III was more divisive, with some critics feeling it simplified the franchise. While the game was somewhat simplified, the latter part of the game, where you are the ruler of Albion was ambitious. It was a risk and not like anything they’d done before in these games.

The Decline and Closure

Peter Molyneux left Lionhead in early 2012 to found 22cans. Microsoft then pressured the studio to develop a games-as-a-service Fable game. Fable IV was rejected. The resulting Fable Legends multiplayer project struggled in development. In March 2016, Microsoft proposed closing Lionhead. The studio officially closed April 29, 2016, with around 160 employees losing their jobs. Microsoft later described the handling of Lionhead as one of its biggest missteps. The Fable IP moved to Playground Games for a reboot.