14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Lionhead and publisher Microsoft officially admit that the team has lost about 10 percent of its members after the launch of Fable: The Journey.
The two companies state that Lionhead is working on a number of new projects, but they did not offer any information on their exact nature.
[admark=1]A statement from Microsoft reads, “We are working closely with the affected employees during this difficult time, and helping them to explore opportunities. We do not have an exact number to share but by the end of 2012 these reductions will account for less than 10% of the overall headcount at Lionhead.”
It adds, “Following the completion of Fable: The Journey, Lionhead Studios has begun work on its next projects. As is common in the games industry, a smaller headcount is needed as projects kick-off and ramp up as full-production gets underway." It seems that some of the Lionhead developers who were laid off might be able to stay with Microsoft in its game development division.
The company has just opened a new development studio in London, which is supposed to be staffed by more than 100 new people before the end of next year and will work on a new intellectual property that has not been named.
Fable: The Journey is a spin-off from the main series, which is designed to offer mechanics designed specifically for the Kinect motion tracking system for the Xbox 360.
The game takes place 50 years after the events of Fable III and asks the player to use gestures in order to manipulate magic and defeat the corruption that threatens to engulf all the land of Albion.
Some elements of The Journey have suggested that Lionhead might already be working on Fable IV.