The latest comments from Fable co-creator Dene Carter gave fans a lesson in storytelling on how the franchise started with major inspiration from Devil May Cry, another highly successful game series. Interest in the Fable franchise has resurfaced as fans patiently await the arrival of the announced reboot, so the retrospective into the series’ creation is a welcome discussion among fans.Released on Xbox in 2004, Fable was the first game in a classic franchise. In 2016, a new multiplayer sequel titled Fable Legends was announced but subsequently canceled, with Lionhead Studios closing down soon after. A reboot of the franchise was officially announced in 2020. Very few details have been released about the game leading to a lot of speculation online about what the game will involve from story and tone to world and weaponry.Taking to Twitter to let followers in on a well-known “hack,” Carter gave advice to aspiring developers that when they’re “feeling lost” in the process, to “steal it” and “100% rip it off from another game.” Though what Carter says is not meant to be taken literally, it was well-intentioned advice on how to narrow down a game’s scope. Carter explained in a long Twitter thread that much of the scope and form in Fable's world-building and overall vision came to him while playing Devil May Cry.
Carter observed gaming details in Devil May Cry, such as the number of zones, to outline the Fable world of Albion. Essentially, the inspiration led the developer to narrow down the scope of the vision the team wanted to accomplish with the game, as it was too big to achieve without such guidance. Carter summed up the process of creating Fable, stating: “Literally copying the scope of DMC, the interaction density of Silent Hill, and the encounter style of the first Way of the Samurai changed Fable from a floppy, undefined, never-ending death march to something we could actually complete *without* ever having worked on a 3D game.”
The unexpected retrospective and advice from the Fable co-creator’s Twitter thread give insight into how chasing and implementing original ideas can be easy if developers stick with what’s familiar and what works in other video game narratives. Narrowing the scope of vision is not an easy process, but it led to a classic series that will hopefully have a successful reboot in popularity. With a less positive reception given to the last two sequels, many fans are crossing their fingers and hoping that the developers will learn from previous mistakes, and ultimately allow this upcoming Fable game to revitalize the franchise to its glory days.
Fable is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: IGN