I had the opportunity to talk with a person deeply involved in the Fable series. I knew that Don Mattrick did not like Peter Molyneux, but, perhaps because I am too naive, I would ever expect that someone would let personal feelings affect the fate of a company and of people working hard.
Don Mattrick did use his influence to reduce the budget of the Fable series when the series was at its peak, which caused the disappointment Fable 3 was. The goal was to push Peter out of the company, which worked. Once he was out, Microsoft hinted at not wanting Fable 4, but then, when the company shutdown, a key person stated the studio should have down Fable 4.That same person had been pushing Fable Legends previously.
What is striking there is that a company was sacrificed for quite petty reasons by one person, and also that the studio was roasted for following instructions given by the publisher.
In Fact, Lionhead wasn't to blame for Fable late issues, but I wonder how many people truly realize this, because when we think about a game we think about the people who make it. But publishers can sabotage the whole work it seems.
I think it is worth talking about this because it is clearly an example of not respecting people, whether it is players who enjoyed the whole series, and more importantly here, developers who were invested in a project crippled by the publisher.
Don Mattrick did use his influence to reduce the budget of the Fable series when the series was at its peak, which caused the disappointment Fable 3 was. The goal was to push Peter out of the company, which worked. Once he was out, Microsoft hinted at not wanting Fable 4, but then, when the company shutdown, a key person stated the studio should have down Fable 4.That same person had been pushing Fable Legends previously.
What is striking there is that a company was sacrificed for quite petty reasons by one person, and also that the studio was roasted for following instructions given by the publisher.
In Fact, Lionhead wasn't to blame for Fable late issues, but I wonder how many people truly realize this, because when we think about a game we think about the people who make it. But publishers can sabotage the whole work it seems.
I think it is worth talking about this because it is clearly an example of not respecting people, whether it is players who enjoyed the whole series, and more importantly here, developers who were invested in a project crippled by the publisher.
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