It’s crazy to think that a series that was once such an important thread in Xbox’s arc could have remained on the sidelines for so long.
However, sit on the sidelines and assuming its 2025 release window is met when Fable is released, it will be the first all-new mainline entry in the series in 13 years (the last one was Fable: The Journey, the Kinect-only Gubbins released on Xbox 360).
If sidelining one of its most critically acclaimed franchises for over a decade was a mistake (and the general consensus agrees that it was), then Microsoft appears to be doing everything it can to make up for it.
Putting the keys to the series in the hands of Playground Games may have seemed like an odd choice, but while the studio best known for the Forza Horizon games may not have had much prior association with the action RPG, it has certainly proven itself in numerous occasions when he knows it. How to create a vast open world of real detail and beauty.
After all, you only need to look at its fictional version of Mexico in Forza Horizon 5 to see how its sprawling fields and thick forests could easily translate into an open-world adventure game. What’s currently less known is how Playground will take the formula that Fable fans loved in the past (a formula that’s now two generations old, remember) and bring it into the modern era.
It’s already been confirmed that Eidos Montreal has been supporting the studio with development, and while its last game, Guardians of the Galaxy, may have been a commercial failure, it certainly wasn’t critical, meaning gamers can rest assured that At least some of the development team has experience delivering a game with a solid narrative and fun, entertaining dialogue.
The latter is something a Fable game absolutely needs, and recent trailers starring comedians Richard Ayoade and Matt King show that Xbox is leaning heavily, as it should in previous games, into a British comedy vibe.
Everyone at Microsoft and Playground is still keeping their mouths shut about what the game‘s plot will entail, but at least a small teaser was shared on the Xbox website following the game‘s first trailer in June, which confirmed that King, best known for some to play. Super Hans, in the much-loved comedy Peep Show, will play Humphry, who “was once Albion’s greatest hero, but those glory days are long gone.”
Xbox says Humphry will come out of retirement when “a mysterious figure from his past threatens the very existence of Albion.” Shots from the game‘s trailer also seem to suggest that Humphry will accompany the player on occasion, although it is not yet clear whether this will be just in a few scenes or as an actual on-screen companion during battle, nor is it known for how much of the game he will be present for. .
The fleeting glimpses of gameplay shown in the trailer also reveal that the fantasy towns will be wonderfully detailed and full of villagers – a good sign, given that interacting with the townspeople has always been one of the most entertaining aspects of the Fable series.
Vague ‘2025’ release dates always raise our eyebrows, and a game of this scope could still be delayed (e.g. Avowed), but if Playground and Eidos Montreal can deliver it on time, we could be looking at one of the 2025. the best.
