Long before it got announced at the Xbox Games Showcase in July 2020,Fablewas shrouded in rumors of an upcoming revival. Now fans of the influential RPG know that it’s in the hands of Playground Games, the developer behind the acclaimedForza Horizongames. Dense as the market may be with fantasy RPGs right now, the return ofFableis a big deal. Its unique takes on classic fantasy concepts and the pivotal morality system that definedFableare just a couple of reasons that fans are eager to see it again. Despite that enthusiasm, though, very little news aboutFablehas come out over the last year.
Microsoft has certainly had opportunities to showcase whereFableis in development. Viewers lauded Microsoft as one of the best presenters at E3 2021, where it gave updates onHalo Infiniteand announcedsome very exciting games, such asRedfallandThe Outer Worlds 2.Fablesort of felt like a glaring omission from E3, even though insiders confirmed in advance that it wouldn’t be at the event. All signs indicate thatFablecould be years away, but after a year of post-announcement development, one would expect that Playground might at least have a small update to offer fans. Instead, it remains silent.
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Fable’s State of Development
A couple of interesting details aboutFablehave come forward. For instance, job listings show thatFableis using the ForzaTech game enginethatForza Horizonis built on. Playground Games was recently looking for people to work on a modified version of the ForzaTech engine that’ll better support RPG elements. This information is pretty interesting since recent rumors believed thatFable’s reboot would use a totally new game engine. It goes without saying thatForza Horizonis a very different type of game fromFableand probably asks very different things from its engine, so it’ll be particularly interesting to see the end result of Playground repurposing the ForzaTech engine.
That’s some of the biggest news onFableto come out of Playground, though. In fact, there probably isn’t much game to talk about right now. Mostclues aboutFable’s development come from job listingsfor the game, which have kept cropping up throughout the past year. Playground Games seemingly still needs a lot of talent to come aboard and help getFable 4off the ground. That’s what makes it clear thatFable’s release is probably years away. The fact that Playground is still hiring for important positions in the game’s development reinforces occasional insider claims that revivingFableis a major undertaking that could take many years of development.Fable 4is clearly not around the corner.
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Fable Just Needs More Time
Playground’s pattern of consistent hiring throughout the last year sends another message: not only isFablefar from release but news or updates about the game aren’t on the horizon either. The studio seems to still be in the process of assemblingthe pieces it needs to putFabletogether. IfFable’s game engine is still in the works, then perhaps the story is still in the planning stages too. That’d explain whyFablegot announced with such a vague trailer, rather than even a brief but concrete story trailer.
The quiet aroundFableis disappointing for fans, but it’s not a bad thing for the game. If anything, it’d be worse forFableif Playground was under constant duress to deliver updates and upkeep PR when there isn’t even any part of the game that’s ready to show yet. Playground can make the most of the privacy by focusing on development rather than trying to claim the spotlight in a fast-moving market. Maybe sometime in early 2022, Playground will have something ready, meaningFablecan make its debut after 2021’s highly anticipated games release and the market quiets down a little in general.Microsoft isn’t hurting for big gamesright now, so Playground doesn’t need to rush.Fablemight take a while, but it’s a story worth telling carefully.
Fable 4is currently in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
