Microsoft Buys High-Profile Developer Lionhead Studios

Microsoft officially announces that it has acquired legendary developer Lionhead Studios, developer of Fable, Black & White, and The Movies

Microsoft has officially bought Lionhead Studios, the well-regarded U.K.-based developer behind hits like Fable and Black & White. Lionhead Studios is now officially a part of Microsoft Game Studios, and will produce titles exclusively for the Xbox 360 and Windows PC.

"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," said Shane Kim, general manager of Microsoft Game Studios.

"We could not be more excited about being part of Microsoft Game Studios, said Molyneux, the managing director of Lionhead Studios and the top talent behind games like Fable, Black & White, and The Movies. "This acquisition gives Lionhead the stability and opportunity to focus on creating world-class next-generation titles."

Lionhead studios joins an impressive lineup of Microsoft Game Studios developers: Bungie (Halo), Ensemble Studios (Age of Empires III), and Rare (Perfect Dark Zero) among them.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but it's been rumored that Lionhead was undergoing financial difficulties following the underwhelming sales of The Movies and Black & White II. Lionhead Studios had recently made plans to lay off some 100 employees.

In a post-acquisition Q&A with Next Generation, Molyneux mentioned that it has become "increasingly challenging" for independent developers like Lionhead to find funding for games. "The amount of money needed or required to develop a game is absolutely phenomenal," said Molyneux.

We recently spoke with top executives at Lionhead about the future of the Fable series. Check out the article here.

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