Xbox Gives Long Overdue Update on Fable
Xbox has provided a long overdue update on Fable. It's been two years and then some since Xbox announced a new Fable game, tentatively dubbed Fable 4 by many fans. Since then, it's largely been nothing but crickets. This week, this changed, but the update isn't exactly brimming with salient details. That said, for those concerned the game was cancelled, well, it's not. Not only is it not canned, but according to the head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty the game is progressing well.
"Playground makes racing games, but if we deconstruct that a little bit, I think the thing that Playground does is high-craft, high-quality, high attention to detail," said Booty. "They had a particular passion for the IP and I think they also demonstrated that they understand what the heart and soul of Fable is about and how they can bring it forward for today's sensibilities. [How to] make a modern take on Fable."
Booty continued, teasing what he's seen of the game so far: "There's stuff I wish I could share and show, because some of the things I've seen are just so encouraging. There's a danger sometimes, that you don't want to [have] the RPG team go make a racing game or vice-versa. You don't want the shooter team to make a kid's building-block game. You can get in trouble there. But [Playground has] a great technology base, they've got a passion for the IP, and they've just got such a demonstrated commitment to craft and quality. [...] During some of the first reviews, I shared a little skepticism that, look, I feel like we're kind of going out on a limb here, but they've since put that to rest. I'm excited for everybody to see it."
So, when is everybody going to see it? Well, that's where Booty stops. It looks unlikely that it will resurface this year, which probably means the earliest Xbox fans will see is at E3 2023.
As for whether Playground Games will deliver, Booty seems to think so, but going from racing games to RPGs is not an easy transition. And according to various reports, Playground Games has struggled with this transition. This doesn't mean the game is going to end up being bad, but development issues certainly never make a game better.