After the open beta was delayed, it was apparent that not quite everything was going according to plan for Fable Legends and developer Lionhead Studios. That being said, today's news that Microsoft is canceling Fable Legends and proposing to close Lionhead Studios is a surprise to many.

Microsoft announced the news earlier today, while stating that Max: Curse of the Brotherhood developer Press Play Studios in Denmark would also be closing down.

"These changes are taking effect as Microsoft Studios continues to focus its investment and development on the games and franchises that fans find most exciting and want to play," Hanno Lemke, general manager of Microsoft Studios Europe, writes.

Fable Legends was the long-in-development, free-to-play multiplayer spin-off of the much beloved Fable RPG franchise. Rather than a traditional Fable title, the game featured one villain player attempting to thwart a team of heroes through use of monsters and traps. The game also represented Microsoft's commitment to bridging the gap between PC and Xbox gamers, as the title was to be cross-play between the two platforms. The game has long been in closed beta, with an open beta that was said to be happening soon.

Along with the Fable series, Lionhead Studios also crafted the "god" game series Black & White. The exact fate of the Fable franchise as a whole remains uncertain.

One might assume from Microsoft's statement that the company is looking to double down on more popular, existing IPs for Xbox, but the company assures Xbox owners that creativity, and Microsoft's European studios, aren't dead.

"I speak for all of Xbox when I say that despite this news, we remain committed to the development communities in the U.K. and Europe, and Xbox will continue to support new IP and originality in the games we offer on our platforms, whether they're AAA blockbusters like Quantum Break from Remedy, adventurous new IPs like Sea of Thieves from Rare, or unique new creations from independent developers like Moon Studios with Ori," Lemke writes.

Microsoft says it will be working with those impacted by the studio closings to find them other roles within Xbox or jobs within the wider game industry.