It would also ensure that the team can focus on a clear vision with the time available. Senior Producer Amy said that scoping is a normal process when developing a video game. Playground Games reacted to the alleged problems quite quickly. However, the game is probably not as advanced as one might suspect, which means that the release could still be a long way off. Nevertheless, according to Gaz, there is no need to worry. The latter had to be developed internally. There is therefore a lack of expertise in the field of open world gameplay and its corresponding mechanics. This was previously used for the Forza Horizon games and is therefore mainly intended for the implementation of racing games.Īs Gaz from Game on Daily’ claims on Colt Eastwood’s XNC Podcast, the game had to be downscaled. So there should be problems with the ForzaTech engine. Ted Timmins, an ex-Lionhead veteran who now works at Microsoft studio Rare on Sea of Thieves, mentioned: "I was a Fable (Project Ego!) fan before I was a Fable developer, so the thought of one of my favourite franchises of all time rumoured to be making a comeback excites me greatly.The Playground Games team reportedly encountered obstacles in the development of Fable 4. This new Fable is seen as something of a clean break, and while all Fable Legends assets were backed up after Lionhead shut down, the expectation is Playground is starting from scratch as it bids to revive the Xbox-exclusive franchise.
Forza Horizon 3 was one of Xbox's biggest games of 2016, and the hope is the studio can make a high-quality Fable adventure once it brings in open-world RPG expertise.
FABLE 4 GAME SERIES
As of June 2017, Guerrilla's story-driven, single-player open-world action RPG had sold over 3.4m copies.Īs for this new Fable, Playground is seen as a highly talented developer which has done fantastic work with the Forza series for Microsoft. So, what changed? We've heard Microsoft's rekindled interest in Fable was in part inspired by Sony's phenomenal success with Guerrilla Games' PlayStation 4-exclusive Horizon Zero Dawn. That said, the team in question is very talented, and I'm sure they'll do a fantastic job." Fable is a weird game, and a tough one to deconstruct for a new team. "On the other hand it is a little curious to get rid of the team that is uniquely expert in making Fable, and then try and make Fable. "On the one hand it's great for the UK games industry, and very pleasing that Fable isn't dead indeed, it will be lovely to play one as a punter, without coming out in hives. "I have slightly mixed feelings," Fable co-creator Simon Carter told Eurogamer.
Fable Legends, unlike previous Fable games, was designed as a free-to-play "game as a service", with a heavy focus on multiplayer (for more on how that went down, check out our extensive investigation into Lionhead's demise).Īccording to former Lionhead developers, staff at the studio had wanted to make a story-driven, single-player Fable 4 while Legends was in the works, and had hoped the studio would move on to making such a game after Legends was done and dusted.Įx-Lionhead staff Eurogamer spoke with said they were excited to see Playground bring Fable back from the dead, but this excitement is tempered somewhat by a sadness that Lionhead was never given the chance to make its dream Fable 4. Microsoft's decision to return to the much-loved fantasy world of Albion comes less than two years after it shut down Fable creator Lionhead and cancelled Fable Legends. We've heard it's early days in terms of development, with Playground currently staffing up the team from double digits to its triple digit target.
The fantasy world of Albion is set to live once again.ĭon't expect to play this new Fable any time soon, however. A significant investment in its development is also planned, with some 200 people set to work on the game at Playground's newly-established second office in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. We've heard the new Fable is planned as a story and character-focussed open-world action RPG. Microsoft said in a statement it does not comment on rumour or speculation. Work is underway on a brand new, big-budget Fable game, Eurogamer can reveal.įable franchise owner Microsoft has tasked UK developer Playground, which makes the Forza Horizon racing games for Xbox and PC, with creating this new Fable, sources close to the project have told Eurogamer.