Fable 4 will not be made by Lionhead Studios

Microsoft is shutting down the beta of Fable Legends, as well as closing Lionhead Studios and Press Play Studios. In the terse post from Microsoft, the abrupt cancellation of Fable Legends and Project Knoxville was announced along with the studio closures.

These have been tough decisions and we have not made them lightly, nor are they a reflection on these development teams – we are incredibly fortunate to have the talent, creativity and commitment of the people at these studios.

Fable Legends, a free-to-play spinoff of the Fable franchise, has been in development since 2012 and was announced to the public in 2013 during Gamescom. The game entered beta earlier this year, but will be shut down on April 13th. Current beta players will be able to continue playing until that date, but no new players will be admitted. Gamers that purchased in-game items will be refunded their full amount. Lionhead Studios was founded in 1996 and was acquired by Microsoft in 2006.

Project Knoxville from Press Play was going to be a third-person multiplayer survival game inspired by arena-style hunts like The Hunger Games. Press Play was founded in 2006 and acquired by Microsoft in 2012.