Loinhead

Lionhead has updated their website to a subtle yellow-on-black, gradient heavy design on a gorgeous background art piece.

It also includes a Tales of Albion section, which requires Microsoft’s flash-competitor Silverlight to run; however you can read content right here without Silverlight (I guess someone forgot to remove those This is Sparta!s before publishing).

The old content still appears to be there in its entirety, including the never-updated © 2006 Microsoft Corporation (you guys, I think <%=Year(Date)%> echoes the current year).

From Lionhead:

Last week we had some visitors in our offices; two big groups of European jounralists got to see Fable 2 up-close and personal. They’ll be publishing their findings in the upcoming days including the 7 new screenshots which can already be found here.

And here are some of the previews we found already, we’ll keep the list updated as the day goes on. Even if you can’t understand what they’re saying, some of the previews are worth having a look at just for the pictures or the video:
http://www.xboxlife.dk/sneak/57/Fable2.html (Danish)
http://www.gry-online.pl/S013.asp?ID=40918 (Polish)
http://plaza.fi/edome/artikkelit/pelit/fable-2… (Finish)
http://www.gameswelt.de/articles/previews/4949-Fable_2/index.html (German)
http://www.9lives.be/gamenieuws/110828/interview (Dutch) + VIDEO
http://www.fz.se/artiklar/20080513/fable-2/ (Swedish) + PICTURES
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=188692 (English)

Briefly: the release date is now shifted to “this holiday”, it’ll be much bigger, Molyneux loves GTA IV, it’ll be cool and stuff, 5000 bugs and content complete either tomorrow or in a week. Also mo’ images? We do not know.

From MTV:

Kim is clearly excited about this one, referring to it as a major part of Microsoft’s 2008 holiday season. “I’m trying to do [lead creator Peter [Molyneux]’s job a little bit, because Peter was accused of over-hyping “Fable” 1. And so we’ve been keeping Peter really focused. I obviously believe it’s going to be a huge title.

He confirmed that Molyneux’s Microsoft-owned Lionhead Studios isn’t just doing “Fable 2″ at the moment. “They’ve got other things that they’re working on,” Kim said. “Peter’s a very creative guy, so he’s got other ideas that they’re always processing.” Lionhead fans, Kim said he’s never seen Molyneux’s mystery project “Dimitri,” itself the subject of many Molyneux interview teases, but that “Peter’s talked about it to me a bunch.”

Molyneux is scheduled to make a major presentation on “Fable 2″ at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next week.

Lionhead released 3 new renders for the upcoming fable 2 together with a blog entry called “Simon Says” where lionhead shares some of the email sent around the team.

- Read on »

GDC’s Jamil Moledina posted in his blog today that Molyneux will do his usual pimpin’ in a Big Feature #3 session at the March 2008 GDC, including design rationales and live Fable 2 play. Via PE.

As announced on the Lionhead blog, Lionhead are donating a bunch of mostly Fable 2-related stuff to be auctioned away at a fancy dinner for Child’s Play, the charity from Penny Arcade that gives toys to sickly kids in hospitals. Notably, to be auctioned off is some signed underwear (signed, of course, by Peter), having your name in Fable 2 and some Fable/Fable 2 t-shirts and posters.

and wants to get rid of some - with your help! Posting on the blog, Sam explains their predicament. It’s fairly urgent; they need a whole bunch of questions before November 19th. Questions should be about the World of Fable 2, their upcoming Fable 2-based MMORPG (or whatever you think that means). The questions will be answered by Fable 2 devs in the next video diary.

Hello Lionhead Community, fans and Fable Fanatics! The creation of the fourth Lionhead Video Diary is well under way; I’ve picked the topic of our next episode after careful consideration and taking all your feedback into account. Please remember these are called Lionhead Developer Video Diaries and not just Fable Video Diaries, but I take your point that you want to see more Fable 2 G o o d [Good]ness and so, the subject of the next episode will be the World of Fable 2! Normally I wouldn’t disclose the subject of the next episode as the surprise factor is half of the fun but on this occasion we want to hear from you!

We want all of you to submit your questions for the team.

Come on people, do it for the team.

Lionhead seem to be hiring a few more folk now, especially animators & tools people. That’s only to be expected - like Molyneux said, in the first stage of any game you need very few people, but that number quickly and drastically increases as soon as you have the design mostly figured out. - Read on »