Long before it got announced at the Xbox Games Showcase in July 2020, Fable was shrouded in rumors of an upcoming revival. Now fans of the influential RPG know that it's in the hands of Playground Games, the developer behind the acclaimed Forza Horizon games. Dense as the market may be with fantasy RPGs right now, the return of Fable is a big deal. Its unique takes on classic fantasy concepts and the pivotal morality system that defined Fable are just a couple of reasons that fans are eager to see it again. Despite that enthusiasm, though, very little news about Fable has come out over the last year.
Microsoft has certainly had opportunities to showcase where Fable is in development. Viewers lauded Microsoft as one of the best presenters at E3 2021, where it gave updates on Halo Infinite and announced some very exciting games, such as Redfall and The Outer Worlds 2. Fable sort of felt like a glaring omission from E3, even though insiders confirmed in advance that it wouldn't be at the event. All signs indicate that Fable could be years away, but after a year of post-announcement development, one would expect that Playground might at least have a small update to offer fans. Instead, it remains silent.
Fable's State of Development
A couple of interesting details about Fable have come forward. For instance, job listings show that Fable is using the ForzaTech game engine that Forza Horizon is built on. Playground Games was recently looking for people to work on a modified version of the ForzaTech engine that'll better support RPG elements. This information is pretty interesting since recent rumors believed that Fable's reboot would use a totally new game engine. It goes without saying that Forza Horizon is a very different type of game from Fable and probably asks very different things from its engine, so it'll be particularly interesting to see the end result of Playground repurposing the ForzaTech engine.
That's some of the biggest news on Fable to come out of Playground, though. In fact, there probably isn't much game to talk about right now. Most clues about Fable's development come from job listings for the game, which have kept cropping up throughout the past year. Playground Games seemingly still needs a lot of talent to come aboard and help get Fable 4 off the ground. That's what makes it clear that Fable's release is probably years away. The fact that Playground is still hiring for important positions in the game's development reinforces occasional insider claims that reviving Fable is a major undertaking that could take many years of development. Fable 4 is clearly not around the corner.
Fable Just Needs More Time
Playground's pattern of consistent hiring throughout the last year sends another message: not only is Fable far from release but news or updates about the game aren't on the horizon either. The studio seems to still be in the process of assembling the pieces it needs to put Fable together. If Fable's game engine is still in the works, then perhaps the story is still in the planning stages too. That'd explain why Fable got announced with such a vague trailer, rather than even a brief but concrete story trailer.
The quiet around Fable is disappointing for fans, but it's not a bad thing for the game. If anything, it'd be worse for Fable if Playground was under constant duress to deliver updates and upkeep PR when there isn't even any part of the game that's ready to show yet. Playground can make the most of the privacy by focusing on development rather than trying to claim the spotlight in a fast-moving market. Maybe sometime in early 2022, Playground will have something ready, meaning Fable can make its debut after 2021's highly anticipated games release and the market quiets down a little in general. Microsoft isn't hurting for big games right now, so Playground doesn't need to rush. Fable might take a while, but it's a story worth telling carefully.
Fable 4 is currently in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.