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[hadareud]

Sources close to British developer Lionhead Studios have revealed to GamesIndustry.biz that the company behind Fable and Black & White is in acquisition talks once more, with two key publishers fingered as the likely suitors for the firm.

Platform holder Microsoft and French publisher Ubisoft are said to be the two companies most interested in Lionhead, while a source at Electronic Arts ruled out the possibility that the market leader might be in the running to acquire the studio.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=14618

 

[radioheadrule83]

American vs French acquisition of Britsoft company...
Lionhead as MS first party vs Lionhead as third party...

I give up. I don't care.

 

[ironichaos]

Stay independent biatch!

*sigh*

 

[MrSardonic]

not more homogenization

 

[Funky Papa]

Whatever company ends buying Lionhead should snatch the Syndicate license from EA's tainted paws.

 

[<nu>faust]

hasn't peter molyneux quit bullfrog and formed lionhead to have more freedom?!? why are they going back to being owned by some big publisher again? i thought they were doing good on their own. I can totally see them in ms game studios though (with their pc ips, success of fable on xbox..etc)

 

[DECK'ARD]

Microsoft will buy them, and then they won't release anything for years.

So not much change.

 

[D2M15]

why are they going back to being owned by some big publisher again?

Because they've run out of money to piss away on overextended development of projects that are either abandoned or crash and burn at retail.

 

[Amused_To_Death]

Lionhead has run out of steam, excellent timing Mr. Molyneux!

 

[<nu>faust]

Because they've run out of money to piss away on overextended development of projects that are either abandoned or crash and burn at retail.

i mean i know they are known for "taking their time" when it comes to development and they had couple of abandoned projects but still i didn't think they were that bad of a position. did "black&white2", "the movies" bomb that bad? can't it be just peter "ambition" molyneux wanting to spend 30$ on that dimitri project without risking anything financially?

 

[Borys]

Err... would that make Lionhead's Xbox 360 games more... Xbox?

95% of their stuff is already Xbox exclusive, I don't know what the big fuss is about anyway.

 

[inpHilltr8r]

Whoever buys it, Molyneux will quit become irritated with corporate interference, and quit for a startup.

 

[Prine]

Whoever buys it, Molyneux will quit become irritated with corporate interference, and quit for a startup.

Which is why i dont want anyone to buy them. Dont make Peter quit!

 

[Drek]

Which is why i dont want anyone to buy them. Dont make Peter quit!

No one makes Molyneaux do much of anything at this point. He exploited EA's love of intellectual properties when they bought Bullfrog, he'll do the same to MS or Ubisoft who'll want to own Fable, Black & White, etc., then in a few years when all his current projects are done he'll leave, form a new start up, and take 90% of the staff that really mattered in the first place.

All this really amounts to is "what 3rd party wants to fund Peter's next start up?"

 

[Deadly Monk]

Microsoft and Lionhead together is fine by me but does it really need to happen? I thought Peter and company could always find funding.