Should Xbox fans be worried about the new Fable? The short answer is yes. At this point, there are a few red flags that suggest fans could be disappointed when the series finally returns after years of being dormant. The new game — which is seemingly a reboot — was announced on July 23, 2020 with a cinematic teaser trailer. Since then it’s been crickets. In a vacuum, this isn’t that noteworthy or worrying, but with context it is.
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The first red flag was present at the time of its reveal. The game is being developed by Playground Games. Founded in 2010, Playground Games has shipped five games in its 12 years of existence, and these five games are Forza Horizon through Forza Horizon 5. And these games are great, but Forza Horizon is a racing series. The difference between making a racing game and an open-world action RPG is substantial and would have required lots of hiring, a difficult process in its own right. This is the first red flag.
The second red flag is the reports and scuttlebutt that the game has been having some development issues. It’s difficult to know how much weight should be put into unofficial information, but even a former developer hinted at these very issues. And to an extent, this ties back into the first point because you would expect a team to have trouble diving into a new genre, especially if it means onboarding lots of new employees into your system.
The third and final red flag comes straight from Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios. During a recent interview, Booty said Playground Games is aiming to deliver a “modern take” on the series. This was immediately met with hesitancy and worry from fans. Of course, modernizing an old series isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the language used by Booty screams of corporate jargon for broadening the game’s appeal to a more casual audience. And that has fans of the games from yesteryear worried.
Obviously, this is all speculation. But if this was Vegas, you’re probably not going to place all your money on this game. The game could end up being phenomenal and all these concerns and worries could disappear the moment its gameplay is revealed. However, for now, many are starting to worry about the anticipated title.
