Microsoft and Playground Games announced the Fable reboot with a teaser trailer in July 2020, though rumors had been swirling for some time before that. However, more than two years have passed since that announcement with few updates, and there's still no release date in sight. Some hoped to get more information during the 2022 Game Awards last December, and its conspicuous absence and the lack of news raises questions about what's happening inside Playground Games.
Since then, reports surfaced alleging that Fable’s delay may have come from a mixture of internal strife and Microsoft’s engine policy. This rumor is still unconfirmed, and although Playground Games says development hasn't been rebooted entirely, Microsoft has yet to release a statement addressing the engine rumor. However, it is a plausible enough explanation that it deserves serious consideration.
The Source of Fable’s Engine Delay Rumor
The story originates from an article by Windows Central Editor Jez Corden which covers how Microsoft’s absence from the Game Awards capped off a pretty mediocre year for Xbox. Corden touched on many topics in what was effectively a year in review for the Xbox brand, talking about Microsoft’s few wins and numerous problems, including the weakness of the Xbox first-party lineup. Microsoft’s lack of release dates for upcoming exclusives like Redfall and State of Decay 3 is a source of concern.
Near the end of the article, Corden discusses the problems with Fable and Halo Infinite’s development. He attributes the issues with both games to Microsoft’s policies regarding contract workers and the use of third-party game engines. Corden did not go into too many specifics, and the article does not reveal precisely where these rumors came from. However, it is the closest anyone currently has to an inside source on the problems with Playground Game’s Fable reboot.
Fable’s Engine Delay Rumor Theories
According to the report, Fable’s slow development stems at least in part from Microsoft’s policy of using game engines developed in-house by its subsidiary studios. Microsoft does not appear to be mandating any specific engine on the studios under its control. However, Microsoft reportedly wants its studios to use internally-developed engines rather than third-party standbys like Epic Game’s Unreal Engine.
It’s also unclear if all these bespoke game engines have the full range of features one expects from industry standards. For example, Playground Games is developing Fable in a modified version of its in-house ForzaTech engine, likely chosen for its ability to render large and visually stunning environments. However, it may not have all the features it needs for a third-person action RPG like Fable. BioWare reportedly struggled when repurposing DICE’s Frostbite engine for Dragon Age: Inquisition, spending a significant amount of development time on basic features. While this is conjecture, Playground Games may have found itself in a similar situation.
A bigger problem is how this engine policy intersects with Microsoft’s reliance on contractors. The company’s policies reportedly result in higher-than-normal turnover, with developers frequently needing to replace key staff members. In addition, these new contractors come in with little to no experience with Fable’s modified ForzaTech engine, slowing development as the studio brings them up to speed. Reliance on contractors might still have been an issue even if Playground Games wasn’t committed to using an in-house engine, but doing so exacerbates the problem.
It is worth reiterating that these are still just rumors and conjecture. It’s unlikely that anyone outside of Microsoft, Playground Games, and co-developer Eidos-Montreal has a complete view of Fable’s development. Still, it’s a plausible explanation for why fans have seen so little news about Fable in the last two years.
Fable is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.