More acquisition talk: Lionhead with Ubisoft, Microsoft?

Activision has stated they will not publish console versions of The Movies, but Lionhead is still developing the titles alongside an expansion for the PC edition--so who will be the publisher? GameIndustry.biz, citing sources close to the Molyneux-led company say there are two major publishers looking to possibly purchase Lionhead: French-based Ubisoft and mega-conglomerate Microsoft.

Ubisoft is a logical contender, being within arm's reach of the UK-based developer, but Microsoft? If Bill Gates buys Lionhead, he will have gained a powerhouse for their Xbox 360. This would secure Fable as an exclusive Xbox 360 franchise for millennia to come, while essentially destroying all hope for a PS2/GCN version of The Movies.

According to the article, Electronic Arts has no interest in buying Lionhead. Whether or not the developer has even been approached by Ubisoft of Microsoft is still unconfirmed (a Lionhead spokesperson refused to comment), but we have no doubt that Microsoft is, at the very least, toying with the idea of a buyout. Any thoughts?

Reader Comments (21)

I think it would be a HUGE mistake if MS didn't buy them. I want to see Fable on the 360 very badly.

microsoft would only ruin Lionhead.. please no please dont sell out

And Exclusively as well! Would make the 360 more of a 'Must have console' then to I would think :)

Please microsoft don't buy lionhead studios. Peter Molenieux over hypes everything, kinda like sony.

I think Microsoft should buy 'em BOTH out (Lionhead, yeah, but more importantly Ubisoft.)

Ahh, that would be great. Ghost Recon & Splinter Cell exclusive to Xbox.

...while they're at it they should buy out Bioware, Rockstar, Square Enix and Namco.

Tha'd be sweet...

If you need anymore proof that MS fans are little kids living in a dream world, just look at the comments above:
"[MS should buy out every company ever, that would be sweet]"

Monopolies are bad things even if the 360 was a decent piece of hardware(which is isn't even remotely close to being) I still wouldn't want MS to own the majority of gaming franchises.

Lionhead makes much more sense as an ubisoft aquisition anyway.

yeah, i have a thought..

the Ubisoft logo looks a hell of a lot like the Xbox 360 logo. i never thought about it until i saw them side by side. weird.

MS should buy lionhead, and bioware... that would rock. Well i like the xbox better than the other systems, but i'll end up with all 3 just like last console generation so it really dosen't matter.

We're screwed either way. Microsoft buys them = bad for obvious reasons. Ubisoft buys them = PC Versions of Lionhead games get Starforce all over them.

I read Peter Molyneux left Bullfrog and EA so he could be independant and make the games he wanted ?.Microsoft should keep their tentacles off other game companies bastard leaches. There's no way UbiSoft will sell out to Microsoft.They're French and they freaking hate Americans.I'm going to burn My Xbox if Microsoft buy another game company.

So...buying is bad, because that is what Microsoft does. But when Sony strongarms developers into going exclusive (Take Two with GTA), or even outright hostile takeover attempts (Squaresoft before Enix), it is apparently OK because it isn't an American company doing it...

Fable II is already going to be on the 360, so it doesn't really matter to Fable fans. If MS buys Lionhead, that's fine with me since I have a 360. Face it, in this day and age of mega-publishers and increased costs, this kind of thing is inevitable for most companies. I mean, wouldn't you want millions to sell oout and then keep on making games?

A_H8r_001 wrote, "microsoft would only ruin Lionhead.. please no please dont sell out"

Just like they ruined Bungie! Halo really sucks, eh?

Nobody mentioned Sony .Is this post about Sony ?.No it's about Microsoft,UbiSoft and Lionhead.At least GTA came out on other platforms.When Microsoft buys companies it's going to be Xbox/360 exclusive with maybe a PC effort a year later.I actually think Lionhaed are a crap software house with overated games that never deliver what they promised .The last Game i found interesting from Molyneux was Theme Park

@12.

Oh. So. True.

@9. "They're French and they freaking hate Americans.I'm going to burn My Xbox if Microsoft buy another game company."

Well that's interesting. If the french 'hate' americans so much, why did they (Infogrames) buy out bankrupt US companies like Interplay (Shiny) and Atari and obviously rescued the Atari brand from being buried in oblivion. Speaking of oblivion: Bizarre Creations (UK) wouldn't exist today if it wasn't for Microsoft.

The two companys Microsoft should really be jumping at are this one and Rockstar. Obviously many good things will come to 360 owners.

I'm obviously going to be put in the "something else than MS-fanboy" category, but I'm going to say what I want to, and you can diss me later, mkay? =)

Molyneux and Lionhead have created some massive games in the last years. Black & White, Black & White 2 (even though the follow-up was different, it was still freakin' awesome!) and obviously Fable. If they were to be bought up by Microsoft, I don't think that they would be allowed to create new exciting games. They would probably be forced to continue making sequels instead of giving us something entirely new, where Molyneux has proven his strength earlier on. He was, after all, the original creator of Theme Park which, according to my brother :P, was a great game, something the sequels didn't quite reach.

I would like to continue seeing Lionhead as an independent developer, and I don't think that Molyneux leaving that crew would be good either as they have gotten a lot of experience together by now.
Stay where you are Lionhead!

Now you can be h8 me ya'll ;P

I really don't agree with hardware providers buying out software developers. I think it's just rediculous to make 3rd parties 2nd parties. Why would you stiffle their creativity? It makes for more of the same stuff, if one company is strictly baught because of a franchise they've created ie/Fable then once they are baught out the bulk of their games will most likely be Fable related considering that is the money maker to the 'owner' now. Whereas if these 3rd parties were left alone they can make their fable, but later on if they get an idea that would be great for the Revolution controller they can act on that. This will get them out of the fable habit and next time they work on a fable game it will feel fresh to them, rather than routine which would therefore make for a more excited, enthusiastic group which would probably create a better game.

I have no problem with hardware providers funding game projects, but buying out a company??? seems like suffocation to me.

@13 good point and to everyone who thinks companies buy out companies, heres one: Ea buying out the NFL license= less options for us and we know that the madden on the 360(or just this year's madden in general) sucks in terms of gameplay and features. dont even try to argue that, EA sacrificed features for graphics. Anyways i think Microsoft sucks as a developer, and think that they are scrambling for some type of miracle, even trying to buyout other companies.

And no its not ok for even Sony to buyout companies which they havent, if they owned Square-Enix we wouldnt have seen FF Chronicles on the Gamecube or FF11 on the 360 now would we? Get your facts straight before you post

"if the 360 was a decent piece of hardware(which is isn't even remotely close to being)"

I stopped reading there. Proof, if any were needed, that you don't know what you're talking about.

More acquisition talk: Lionhead with Ubisoft, Microsoft?

Reader Comments (21)

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