Lionhead Downsizes News

Backed by strong sales of Fable and with the release of Black & White 2 and The Movies on the horizon, there was a point in 2005 when Peter Molyneux's studio held the flame proudly aloft for the UK's ailing development scene.

Stinging criticism faced by the long-awaited GOD sim sequel and a lacklustre performance of the hugely creative movie-mogul title, however, looks to have had an affect on Lionhead's stature as the UK developer recently responded to claims of downsizing.

As a result of a company meeting held on March 2nd, Lionhead Studios will effectively centralise their development to a pool of 100 developers ready to begin work on "a new AAA world class game", along with an additional team currently working on a next-generation project.

Comments from Lionhead's Community Manager Sam van Tilburgh suggest that the restructuring plans will lead to unfortunate redundancies, but makes no mention of exactly how many are planned.

Recently Lionhead posted an article seeking new vacancies however this appears to have changed, with "N/A" presently labelled in the Current Openings section. The Movies Planet alleges that Lionhead will enter into a consultation period, requesting all of their current employees to apply for the available positions.

Before the disappointing performance of Black & White 2, Lionhead had originally outlined plans to develop the franchise up to its fifth instalment, whilst development on the hugely secretive Project Dmitri continued behind the scenes.

The Movies Planet claims that the decision will effectively bring an end to support for The Movies, with the first expansion pack "Stunts & Effects" set to be the last and suggesting further content will not be offered by the Propshop, despite claims from Sam that new downloads will be offered. Whether or not it's the final nail in the on-off drama surrounding the game's console appearance also remains in question, however we wouldn't hold out too much hope.