It’s been some time we’ve heard anything concrete about Fable, the anticipated revival of Microsoft’s series in development at Playground Games. Could the game be in trouble? We’ve heard Playground may be struggling given they’re primarily a racing game developer and the project may have been scaled back, but of course, those were just rumors.
Well, perhaps we needn’t worry. In a new interview with Skill Up’s Friends Per Second podcast, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty spoke in support of Playground working on Fable and said what he’s seen of the game has been “so encouraging.”
“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. 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.
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.”
Another encouraging tidbit – according to recent rumors from the reliable Jason Schreier, the talented Eidos Montreal is also helping out with the new Fable. Fingers crossed the end result is worthy of the franchise’s name.
Fable is coming to PC and Xbox Series X/S. A release window has yet to be revealed.
