When gamers think of Fable, racing and cars are the last things that come to mind. Xbox’s beloved fantasy RPG series was once one of the biggest franchises that the company had under its belt, but Fable has been lying dormant for well over a decade now. However, developer Playground Games has been working to bring the franchise back, and it’s an unlikely partnership that has drawn as much intrigue as it has attracted skepticism. Until now, Playground Games has made its name through the Forza Horizon racing franchise. It’s a far cry away from Fable‘s fantasy world of Albion, which puts plenty of pressure on Playground Games’ shoulders.
Despite the pressure and high expectations, Playground Games seems ready for the challenge. After all, the team has been working on the reboot for around a decade at this point. Fable‘s open world design is one of the main things that Playground Games really has to nail. The original Fable trilogy had a semi-open world design, and Playground Games has been teasing a truly open-world experience this time around that could set it apart in a huge way. The developer’s approach to crafting a rich open-world environment has been a huge selling point for this game, and thankfully, Playground Games has plenty of experience in this area.
Playground Games’ Years of Experience With Forza Horizon’s Open Worlds Make the Studio a Perfect Fit for Fable
Just because a studio has built its reputation on one kind of game doesn’t mean that it can’t successfully branch out to other genres. Playground Games is taking a big risk by gaining control of an IP as beloved as the Fable games, but a shake-up could be exactly what the series needed to make its return worthwhile. Copying the original Fable trilogy formula simply wouldn’t have been enough. It may have worked for longtime fans, but Playground Games also has to get new fans on board, too.
There have been a lot of great open-world RPGs that have reshaped the genre since Fable 3 hit the scene in 2010. Games like The Witcher 3 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 have completely changed what gamers’ expectations are when it comes to these kinds of worlds. Granted, the original games still boast some great RPG mechanics, but blending that with a satisfying open-world is far more difficult now. Playground Games has been crafting strong open-world games with Forza Horizon this entire time, which means the team has been keeping up with the trends and what makes these worlds so fun. Game director and Playground Games co-founder Ralph Fulton had some great insight to share with The Guardian about how the developer approached taking on a project like Fable.
I think there was a little bit of pride in proving we could cut it in a different genre. It made sense not to fall too far from Horizon. This project definitely wasn’t going to have cars, but open worlds felt like an area where we had transferable skills.
Racing games may not be every gamer’s cup of tea, but the Forza Horizon series undoubtedly has great open worlds that pave the way for hours of exploration. Fulton’s comments show that he and Playground Games as a whole are confident in the ability to make an open-world game that feels alive. Fable simply requires the team to approach the usual formula with a different atmosphere. Even this year, Playground Games proved with the wild number of positive Forza Horizon 6 reviews that the devs have found a special open world formula that continues to work.
Now, instead of cars, the focus is on horses and foot travel. Fulton admitted that the team wanted to prove that they could “cut it” in a genre that isn’t racing, and that level of determination to prove naysayers wrong could greatly work in Fable‘s favor. These words hint at a deep level of care, and the 10-year development hell further teases that the studio wanted to take its time with handling a new Fable game and get it right instead of getting the project across the finish line as soon as possible.
Fable’s Confirmed Open-World Details Already Make Playground Games’ Dedication Clear
One of the core features that make up the entire Fable series is the player’s decision to pave their character’s way however they wish. Playground Games is taking that even further. For example, Fable‘s original morality system was a more black and white “good vs. evil” approach that left actions and decisions quite static in hindsight. Now, Fable‘s new morality system is more realistic, fully embracing the gray area that comes with certain choices.
Just because a studio has built its reputation on one kind of game doesn’t mean that it can’t successfully branch out to other genres.
A more complex morality system is simply the tip of the iceberg. Playground Games has already confirmed that there are around 1,000 romanceable NPCs in Fable. Even better, every one of these NPCs are handcrafted. That’s a mind-boggling amount of effort that could have easily been streamlined by procedural generation, but this is something that Playground Games has purposefully avoided when creating the game’s side characters.
The fact that Fable‘s NPCs are not procedurally generated demonstrates how serious Playground Games is about building a fantasy world that is just as fun as it is believable. Fulton even admitted that the team attempted to use procedural generation for NPCs; it just didn’t feel right in the long run. Turning away from such an easy shortcut must have been hard, but the game’s NPCs are bound to be better off because of it.
It has been a long road to get to Fable‘s release date, but February 2027 hopefully marks the end of the game’s long production. After delays and hiccups, it would be great to see Fable stake its claim as one of 2027’s strongest games. Of course, only time will tell, but after years of focusing on cars, it’s going to be fascinating to see how Playground Games tackles an open-world fantasy story. On paper, it sounds like it wouldn’t really work, but it’s also just as likely that Playground Games brings something truly unique to the genre.
- Released
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February 23, 2027
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Publisher(s)
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Xbox Game Studios
- Engine
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unreal engine 4, forza tech
