List of Lionhead Studios games

Last updated

Lionhead Studios was a British video game developer located in Guildford, England. It was founded in July 1997 by Peter Molyneux, Mark Webley, Tim Rance, and Steve Jackson, following their departure from Bullfrog Productions, which Molyneux had co-founded in 1987. In 2001 it released its first title, the real-time strategy game Black & White ; over the next year it launched deals with independent studios Big Blue Box Studios and Intrepid Computer Entertainment, who were developing Fable and B.C. , respectively, to serve as a producer for their games. In 2002, after helping them sign publishing deals with Microsoft Game Studios, Lionhead purchased the companies outright, though they continued as satellite studios working on their games. After the launch and success of the action role-playing game Fable in 2004, however, at the urging of Microsoft B.C. was cancelled and Intrepid shut down, and Unity , a collaboration between Lionhead Studios and Llamasoft, was also cancelled. The following year Lionhead released the games they had been developing at their main studio, Black & White 2 and business simulation game The Movies , neither of which were as successful as the company's first two titles. Lionhead had financial difficulties as a result, and was purchased by Microsoft Game Studios in 2006. [1]

Contents

Over the next decade, Lionhead only released titles in the Fable series; although several other projects were worked on, such as Project Dimitri, Survivors, and Project Milo , sometimes for years, none turned into published products. [1] Lionhead released five titles in the series between 2008 and 2012, including action role-playing games, a beat 'em up game, and a tie-in minigame pack. Molyneux, the face of the company, left in 2012, before the company's final two games were released that year. In 2016, with no further titles finished, the studio was shut down by Microsoft, cancelling its in-progress projects Fable Fortune and Fable Legends , the latter while in closed beta. [1] During its lifetime Lionhead Studios released nine games, primarily for Microsoft Windows personal computers and Xbox consoles, and worked on at least ten other titles which were cancelled in various stages of development.

Games

Games developed by Lionhead Studios
TitleDetails
Black & White

Original release date:
27 March 2001 [2] [3] 		Release years by system:
2001 – Windows [3]
2002 – MacOS [4]
Notes:
Fable

Original release date:
14 September 2004 [2] 		Release years by system:
2004 – Xbox [2]
2005 – Windows (The Lost Chapters) [10]
2008 – MacOS (The Lost Chapters) [11]
2014 – Xbox 360 (Anniversary) [12]
Notes:
  • Action role-playing game
  • Published by Microsoft Game Studios [2]
  • Part of the Fable series
  • Expanded and re-released as Fable: The Lost Chapters on Xbox, Windows (2005) and MacOS (2008) [13]
  • Remade as Fable Anniversary on Windows and Xbox 360 (2014), including The Lost Chapters [12]
  • Fable Anniversary included in Fable Trilogy compilation release (2014, Xbox 360) [14]
Black & White 2

Original release date:
3 October 2005 [15] 		Release years by system:
2005 – Windows [15]
2009 – MacOS [16]
Notes:
  • Real-time strategy game
  • Published by Electronic Arts [15]
  • Part of the Black & White series
  • Sequel to Black & White
  • An expansion pack, Black & White 2: Battle of the Gods (2006), developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Electronic Arts [17]
The Movies

Original release date:
8 November 2005 [2] [18] 		Release years by system:
2005 – Windows [18]
2006 – MacOS [19]
Notes:
Fable II Pub Games

Original release date:
13 August 2008 [22] 		Release years by system:
2008 – Xbox 360 [22]
Notes:
  • Pub games
  • Developed by Carbonated Games and Lionhead Studios
  • Published by Microsoft Game Studios [23]
  • Part of the Fable series
  • Tie-in game to Fable II , featuring three minigames from that game [23]
Fable II

Original release date:
21 October 2008 [23] 		Release years by system:
2008 – Xbox 360 [23]
Notes:
  • Action role-playing game
  • Published by Microsoft Game Studios [23]
  • Part of the Fable series
  • Sequel to Fable
  • A port for Windows was cancelled [24]
  • Two pieces of downloadable content (DLC) released, "Knothole Island" and "See the Future"; base game and DLC included in Fable II: Game of the Year Edition (2009), also released as Fable II (2009) in the "Platinum Hits" line [25]
  • Included in Fable Trilogy compilation release (2014, Xbox 360) [14]
Fable III

Original release date:
26 October 2010 [26] 		Release years by system:
2010 – Xbox 360 [26]
2011 – Windows [27]
Notes:
  • Action role-playing game
  • Published by Microsoft Game Studios [26]
  • Part of the Fable series
  • Sequel to Fable II
  • Two expansion DLCs released, "Understone Quest Pack" and "Traitor's Keep"; additional DLC content also released [28] [29]
  • Tie-in game Fable: Coin Golf (2011) for Windows Phone 7 developed by Ideaworks Game Studio and published by Microsoft Game Studios [30]
  • Included in Fable Trilogy compilation release (2014, Xbox 360) [14]
Fable Heroes

Original release date:
2 May 2012 [31] 		Release years by system:
2012 – Xbox 360 [31]
Notes:
Fable: The Journey

Original release date:
9 October 2012 [33] 		Release years by system:
2012 – Xbox 360
Notes:
  • Action role-playing game
  • Published by Microsoft Studios [33]
  • Part of the Fable series
  • Sequel to Fable III

Cancelled

Cancelled games developed by Lionhead Studios
TitleDetails
Black & White: Titan

Cancellation date:
2002 [34] 		Proposed system release:
Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2 [35] [34]
Notes:
  • Announced in 2001, last update in 2002; never officially cancelled [36] [37]
  • Part of the Black & White series
B.C.

Cancellation date:
22 October 2004 [38] 		Proposed system release:
Xbox [38]
Notes:
  • Action-adventure game
  • Under development by Intrepid Computer Entertainment prior to its purchase by Lionhead [1]
Untitled B.C. sequel

Cancellation date:
22 October 2004 [39] 		Proposed system release:
N/A
Notes:
  • Cancelled alongside B.C. [39]
Unity

Cancellation date:
10 December 2004 [40] 		Proposed system release:
GameCube [40]
Notes:
The Room

Cancellation date:
2005 [41] 		Proposed system release:
N/A
Notes:
Project Dimitri

Cancellation date:
2006 [42] 		Proposed system release:
N/A
Notes:
  • Game iterated through several concepts under the same project name starting in 2001 [42]
  • Later inspired Project Milo [42]
Survivors

Cancellation date:
2007 [42] 		Proposed system release:
N/A
Notes:
Justice and Survivor

Cancellation date:
2009 [43] 		Proposed system release:
N/A
Notes:
  • Game cancelled while in concept stage [43]
Project Milo

Cancellation date:
September 2010 [42] 		Proposed system release:
Xbox 360 [44]
Notes:
InkQuest

Cancellation date:
24 September 2014 [45] 		Proposed system release:
N/A
Notes:
  • Announced as a cancelled game by internal incubation group [45]
Fable Legends

Cancellation date:
7 March 2016 [1] 		Proposed system release:
Windows, Xbox One [1]
Notes:
  • Cooperative action role-playing game
  • Part of the Fable series
  • Project cancelled when Lionhead Studios shut down while in closed beta [1]
Fable Fortune

Cancellation date:
7 March 2016 [1] [46] 		Proposed system release:
Windows, Xbox One [46]
Notes:
  • Digital collectible card game
  • Part of the Fable series
  • Project cancelled when Lionhead Studios shut down [46]
  • Developers of the game founded Flaming Fowl Studios to complete it; was finished with assistance by Mediatonic and released on 22 February 2018 [46] [47]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lionhead Studios</span> British video game developer, 1997–2016

Lionhead Studios Limited was a British video game developer founded in July 1997 by Peter Molyneux, Mark Webley, Tim Rance, and Steve Jackson. The company is best known for the Black & White and Fable series. Lionhead started as a breakaway from developer Bullfrog Productions, which was also founded by Molyneux. Lionhead's first game was Black & White, a god game with elements of artificial life and strategy games. Black & White was published by Electronic Arts in 2001. Lionhead Studios is named after Webley's hamster, which died not long after the naming of the studio, as a result of which the studio was very briefly renamed to Redeye Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Molyneux</span> English video game designer and game programmer

Peter Douglas Molyneux is an English video game designer and programmer. He created the god games Populous, Dungeon Keeper, and Black & White, as well as Theme Park, the Fable series, Curiosity: What's Inside the Cube?, and Godus. He currently works at 22cans.

<i>Black & White</i> (video game) God video game

Black & White is a god video game developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows in 2001 and by Feral Interactive in 2002 for Mac OS. Black & White combines elements of artificial life and strategy. The player acts as a god whose goal is to defeat Nemesis, another god who wants to take over the world. A primary theme is the concept of good and evil, with the atmosphere being affected by the player's moral choices. The core gameplay mechanic of Black & White is the interaction between the player and an avatar creature, who carries out the player's instructions and whose personality and behaviour change in reaction to how they are treated. Multiplayer is supported over a local network or online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xbox Game Studios</span> American video game publisher

Xbox Game Studios is an American video game publisher based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, spun out from an internal Games Group, for the development and publishing of video games for Microsoft Windows. It has since expanded to include games and other interactive entertainment for the namesake Xbox platforms, other desktop operating systems, Windows Mobile and other mobile platforms, and web-based portals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullfrog Productions</span> British video game developer

Bullfrog Productions Limited was a British video game developer based in Guildford, England. Founded in 1987 by Peter Molyneux and Les Edgar, the company gained recognition in 1989 for their third release, Populous, and is also well known for titles such as Theme Park, Theme Hospital, Magic Carpet, Syndicate and Dungeon Keeper. Bullfrog's name was derived from an ornament in the offices of Edgar's and Molyneux's other enterprise, Taurus Impact Systems, Bullfrog's precursor where Molyneux and Edgar were developing business software. Bullfrog Productions was founded as a separate entity after Commodore mistook Taurus for a similarly named company.

<i>Fable</i> (2004 video game) 2004 video game

Fable is an action role-playing video game, the first in the Fable series. It was developed for the Xbox, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X platforms by Big Blue Box Studios, a satellite developer of Lionhead Studios, and was published by Microsoft Studios. The game shipped for the Xbox in September 2004. An extended version of the game, Fable: The Lost Chapters, was released for the Xbox and Windows in September 2005. A port of the game for Mac OS X, created by Robosoft Technologies and published by Feral Interactive, was released in March 2008 after a delay of more than two years due to licensing issues.

<i>The Movies</i> (video game) 2005 video game

The Movies is a business simulation game created by Lionhead Studios for Microsoft Windows and ported to Mac OS X by Feral Interactive. Players run a Hollywood film studio, creating films that can be exported from the game. The Movies was released in November 2005 to positive reviews and several awards, but sold poorly. An expansion, The Movies: Stunts & Effects, was released in 2006.

<i>Fable II</i> 2008 video game

Fable II is a 2008 action role-playing open world video game, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360. The game is the second installment in the Fable game series, and the sequel to 2004's Fable. The story takes place within the fictional land of Albion, 500 years after the first game. Players assume the role of a young hero who is destined to stop a former ruler turned madman from destroying the world. The game features several prominent actors portraying major characters in the game, including Zoë Wanamaker, Ron Glass and Stephen Fry. The game's setting takes inspiration from the historical late colonial era, in terms of architecture, social quality and basic firearms such as flintlock pistols.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Shaw (composer)</span>

Russell Shaw is a BAFTA nominated British composer and sound designer. He is known for his work in many video games, particularly those designed by Peter Molyneux.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Media Molecule</span> British video game developer

Media Molecule Ltd. is a British video game developer based in Guildford, Surrey. Founded in 2006 by Mark Healey, Alex Evans, David Smith, and Kareem Ettouney, Sony Computer Entertainment acquired the firm in 2010. It became part of SCE Worldwide Studios. The company is best known for developing the LittleBigPlanet series, 2013's Tearaway, and 2020's Dreams for PlayStation consoles.

<i>Fable III</i> 2010 video game

Fable III is a 2010 action role-playing open world video game, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The third game in the Fable series, the story focuses on the player character's struggle to overthrow the King of Albion, the player character's brother, by forming alliances and building support for a revolution. After a successful revolt, the player becomes the monarch and is tasked with attempting to defend Albion from a great evil. The game includes voice acting by Ben Kingsley (Sabine), Stephen Fry (Reaver), Simon Pegg, Naomie Harris (Page), Michael Fassbender (Logan), Zoë Wanamaker (Theresa), Bernard Hill, Nicholas Hoult (Elliot), John Cleese (Jasper), Jonathan Ross, Adjoa Andoh (Kalin), Kellie Bright, and Louis Tamone.

<i>Project Milo</i> Video game

Project Milo was a project in development by Lionhead Studios for the Xbox 360 video game console. Formerly a secretive project under the early codename "Dimitri", Project Milo was unveiled at the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in a demonstration for Kinect, as a "controller-free" entertainment initiative for the Xbox 360 based on depth-sensing and pattern recognition technologies. The project was a tech demo to showcase the capabilities of Kinect and was not released, despite conflicting reports that the project was an actual game.

<i>Fable</i> (video game series) Video game series

Fable is a series of action role-playing video games for Xbox, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox 360 and Xbox One platforms. The series was developed by Lionhead Studios until the studio was closed in 2016, and is published by Xbox Game Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">22cans</span> British video game developer

22cans Ltd is a British video game developer based in Guildford. It was founded in February 2012 by Peter Molyneux, previously of Bullfrog Productions and Lionhead Studios.

<i>Fable Legends</i> 2016 video game

Fable Legends is a cancelled cooperative action role-playing video game developed by Lionhead Studios and projected to be published by Microsoft Studios for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One. Microsoft cancelled the game on 7 March 2016. The servers shut down on 13 April.

<i>Fable Fortune</i> 2018 video game

Fable Fortune was a free-to-play digital collectible card game set in the Fable universe. The game was released for Windows and Xbox One in February 2018, after an initial early access release. It was co-developed by Flaming Fowl Studios and Mediatonic. In late 2019, Flaming Fowl Studios announced their intent to cease work on further updates for the game, citing its lacklustre performance on the market. The support for the game was finally discontinued on 4 March 2020.

Mark Webley is a British video game developer, known for working with developers such as Peter Molyneux and Gary Carr for Bullfrog Productions and later Lionhead Studios on projects including Theme Hospital and Black & White. In 2012, he took over as head of Lionhead after Molyneux left, and in 2016, he founded a studio called Two Point Studios with Carr, which has signed a publishing deal with Sega.

<i>Fable</i> (upcoming video game) Upcoming video game developed by Playground Games

Fable is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game serves as a reboot for the Fable series and will be released for Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft Windows.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Yin-Poole, Wesley (13 May 2019). "Lionhead: The inside story". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Developer Profile Lionhead Studios". GamesTM . No. 80. Imagine Publishing. February 2009. p. 166. ISSN   1478-5889.
  3. 1 2 3 "Black & White". IGN . j2 Global. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  4. ↑ Cohen, Peter (28 January 2002). "Apple spells it out for gamers in Black & White". Macworld . International Data Group. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  5. ↑ Ahmed, Shahed (17 May 2006). "Black & White development update". GameSpot . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "In The Chair With Peter Molyneux". Retro Gamer . No. 71. Imagine Publishing. November 2009. pp. 82–89. ISSN   1742-3155.
  7. ↑ McDonald, Thomas L. (May 2002). "Black & White: Creature Isle". Computer Gaming World . No. 214. Ziff Davis. p. 89.
  8. ↑ Deci, T. J. "Black & White Deluxe". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  9. ↑ Deci, T. J. "Black & White: Platinum Pack". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  10. ↑ Deci, T. J. "Fable: The Lost Chapters". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  11. ↑ Deci, T. J. "Fable: The Lost Chapters". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Fable Anniversary". IGN . j2 Global. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Fable: The Lost Chapters". IGN . j2 Global. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 Matulef, Jeffrey (18 January 2014). "Fable Trilogy confirmed for February". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 "Black & White 2". IGN . j2 Global. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  16. ↑ Holt, Chris (23 February 2009). "Review: Black and White 2". Macworld . International Data Group. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  17. ↑ "Black & White 2: Battle of the Gods". IGN . j2 Global. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "The Movies". IGN . j2 Global. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  19. ↑ Deci, T. J. "The Movies". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  20. ↑ "The Movies: Stunts & Effects - IGN". IGN . j2 Global. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  21. ↑ "The Movies: Superstar Edition". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  22. 1 2 Sutyak, Jonathan. "Fable II Pub Games [Xbox Live Arcade]". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Marriott, Scott Alan. "Fable II". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  24. ↑ Chalk, Andy (16 May 2011). "Fable II on PC: Not Gonna Happen". The Escapist . Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  25. ↑ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Fable II [Platinum Hits]". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  26. 1 2 3 Deci, T. J. "Fable III". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  27. ↑ Deci, T. J. "Fable III". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  28. ↑ Rovi Games. "Fable III Understone Quest Pack". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  29. ↑ Scoville, Max (25 February 2011). "Hands-on: Fable III: Traitor's Keep DLC". Destructoid . Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  30. ↑ Andrew, Keith (7 April 2011). "Fable: Coin Golf". Pocket Gamer . Steel Media. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  31. 1 2 3 "Fable Heroes". IGN . j2 Global. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  32. ↑ "Interview with Gary Carr on Fable: The Journey and why Kinect non-believers will change their tune". New York Post . News Corp. 2 October 2012. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  33. 1 2 Brown, Cristopher. "Fable: The Journey". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  34. 1 2 "Black & White: Titan". IGN . j2 Global. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  35. ↑ "Black & White: Next Generation". IGN . j2 Global. 2 December 2002. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  36. ↑ "Black & White: Next Generation for GCN". IGN . j2 Global. 2 December 2002. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  37. ↑ Goldstein, Hilary (1 February 2007). "Missing in Action: The Lost Games of Xbox". IGN . j2 Global. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  38. 1 2 "Changes for B.C." Intrepid Games. Lionhead Studios. 22 November 2004. Archived from the original on 5 December 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  39. 1 2 Goldstein, Hilary (1 February 2007). "B.C. goes MIA". IGN . j2 Global. Archived from the original on 24 October 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  40. 1 2 3 Feldman, Curt (10 December 2004). "Unity canned by Lionhead, Llamasoft". GameSpot . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  41. 1 2 3 4 Yarwood, Jack (14 February 2023). "Revealing The Secrets Of 'The Room', Lionhead's Answer To Portal". Time Extension. Hookshot Media. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Leone, Matt (21 March 2013). "How Milo met Kate: The story behind Lionhead's virtual boy". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  43. 1 2 "Peter Molyneux Interview – Lionhead's Canceled Projects". YouTube . IGN. 31 March 2009. Archived from the original on 20 February 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  44. 1 2 Donlan, Christian (9 February 2014). "The lost worlds of Lionhead and Bullfrog". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  45. 1 2 Yin-Poole, Wesley (24 September 2014). "Fable developer Lionhead reveals cancelled game InkQuest". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  46. 1 2 3 4 Yin-Poole, Wesley (31 May 2016). "Former Lionhead devs take Hearthstone-style Fable Fortune to Kickstarter". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  47. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (19 February 2018). "Ex-Lionhead devs' collectible card game Fable Fortune leaves Early Access this week". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.