It's been nearly 14 years since Microsoft's action-RPG franchise has graced our video game platforms, and no, we're not counting counting Fable Heroes or Fable: The Journey). But now the Fable reboot is on the way, and looking better than ever.
With original studio Lionhead shuttered, the IP has been taken up by Playground Games of the Forza Horizon franchise. Fable marks the first title the studio has developed which isn't part of the popular racing series, but it sounds as though the ForzaTech engine could power the new game. Which isn't the weirdest thing we've heard.
In any case, here's all we know about an entry that the Microsoft Store says is "a new beginning for the legendary franchise".
Fable Reboot Release Date Estimate
Currently, we don't know the release date for the upcoming Fable reboot. Previously a GeForce Now leak suggested that the game would be launching in October 2023, however that proved to be false.
At the time of writing, it is 6 months into 2024 and no other announcement in sight, we estimate that a release date is more likely to be in early 2025 than in late 2024. If 2025 proves to be correct, that'll make it over 5 years since the Fable reboot was teased.
However, fans shouldn't be too surprised by such a long development cycle. In an interview, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty had suggested that original titles have been affected more by COVID than upcoming sequels, especially with Playground Games hiring a team of scriptwriters as late as October 2019. Find out more here.
What Is Fable?
The Fable franchise is a series of action RPG games that were originally developed by Lionhead Studios before the studio closed in 2016.
The Fable series takes place in the fictional nation of Albion, a state that, at the time of the first game, is composed of numerous autonomous city-states with vast areas of countryside or wilderness in between. The setting originally resembles medieval Europe.
While the games all take place in the same universe, the stories are not related - with the sequel happening 500 years after the original and the third take place a further 50 years later.
Rumours surrounding a new Fable game have circulated since before the release of the Xbox One, but now that more information has been teased, we finally have an idea on what to expect from the reboot.
For one thing, as Phil Spencer told IGN's Podcast Unlocked, the Fable Reboot will remain "light-hearted" and will be "a little more British" than Avowed or The Elder Scrolls. Hopefully, that means we'll be chasing chickens all over again.
Fable Reboot Trailers
A trailer for the Fable reboot in 2023 highlighted what seems to be the main theme of the game: what is a hero? Narrated by IT Crowd's star Richard Ayoade, we were regaled with a monologue seeking to answer this very question, while cutscenes played over the top.
There we saw our Hero fight against what looked to be a werewolf-like creature, wrestle with vegetables far larger than they should be, take down bandits with magic and the bow, and end the night with a bender in the tavern. Sounds like your typical Fable adventure. It then ended with a legendary fight between Ayoade's character and the Hero, who just so happened to be the size of a thimble. So many questions, and so little answers.
During the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, the Fable reboot received yet another trailer.
This time around we're joined by Hero and a retired Humphrey, who once more regales the audience on what makes a hero in the world of Albion. Much like the previous trailer, it seems that being a hero isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
Fable Reboot Engine
With Playground Games developing Fable, the studio is using its ForzaTech engine used in Forza Horizon and Forza Motorsport titles. A job listing says the developer is "enriching the toolset to support an open-world action RPG" widely believed to be Fable.
Fable Reboot Confirmed Platforms
With this being a Microsoft Studios game, we would be very surprised to see it on anything other than Xbox One, Series X and PC when it launches.
That said, never say never - especially with Microsoft's recent track record of putting their games in as many places as possible.
In any case, it'll launch directly into Game Pass.
Fable Reboot Multiplayer
While Fable has been a traditionally single-player franchise, it has had its dalliances with multiplayer in the past, including Fable: Legends, a cancelled asymmetrical multiplayer game.
A recent report has suggested that there may be the potential for online elements such as co-op, but rest assured – Fable won't be an MMO.