A next-gen Fable, sometimes referred to as Fable 4 in the absence of an official announcement, has been rumored for quite some time to be in development. With this year's launch of Xbox's next-gen offering with the Xbox Series X console, those rumors have naturally shifted to suggest that Fable would appear as a next-gen game if it is indeed in development at all.
While virtually nothing official is known about a next-gen Fable, there have been plenty of rumors dating all the way back to 2018. In fact, many expected a new Fable to be announced and teased at E3 2019, but it failed to appear at the show. But that has not stopped a continued rumor that Xbox has the game under development at UK studio Playground Games, the developers behind the Forza Horizon series.
For fans of the Fable games, the potential for Microsoft to produce another mainline entry in the series, instead of outings like Fable: The Journey and Fable Legends, is certainly exciting. Bringing back this Xbox-exclusive franchise could be a great move for Xbox, especially as it enters into a new console generation. If Microsoft plays its cards right, Fable could end up being the Breath of the Wild in Xbox's portfolio.
Propelling Fable as an Xbox Brand
As Xbox rose to dominance in the Xbox 360 console generation, the console received so much third-party support that the number of first-party exclusives started a decline with Xbox having fewer of its own unique IP. By the time the current Xbox One generation came along, the lack of first-party support only seemed to increase. But in recent years, under the leadership of Phil Spencer, Xbox has acquired multiple studios to build out its exclusive game portfolio. This should start paying off in the next Series X generation.
Often, Xbox brands itself with Halo, Forza, and Gears of War, as those are the most recognizable IP that Xbox has in its repertoire. But having a next-gen Fable could go a long way in letting Xbox present itself in a more multifaceted way. A sweeping, open-world fantasy world with Fable's signature cartoony style could help Xbox reach fans of games like Nintendo's Breath of the Wild.
There were rumors that original Fable developer Lionhead Studios was planning to make a Fable 4 that was going to be "R-Rated," but with Lionhead shuttering and a next-gen Fable assumed to be under development under a completely new developer, none of those previous plans should be assumed about the game that could now be in development. If the next-gen Fable kept its silly, slightly irreverent tone while still making the game lighthearted enough to skew interest from younger players, Xbox could potentially have something in its lineup that appeals to both older fans of the original series and new, young players who enjoy experiences like Breath of the Wild.
As Xbox looks to fill out its catalog of games, Fable would fit nicely as a fun and inviting fantasy game that offers an open world and freedom reminiscent of Breath of the Wild.
A Reboot Only Benefits Next-Gen Fable
There are multiple reasons why a next-gen Fable should be a reboot instead of a continuation from Fable 3. First off, a non-numbered Fable is much more welcoming than a numbered entry that continues a series that had its last official entry release ten years ago. Players can jump in without having the question about whether they should have played earlier entries to be able to even understand this new game.
Next, rolling back the timeframe of a next-gen Fable lets it sit nicely in that medieval fantasy genre like Breath of the Wild. The first Fable was a fantasy jaunt with swords, bows and arrows, magic, medieval towns, and more standard medieval fare. Fable 2 and 3 progressed things forward and introduced industrial elements into its world as well as guns. There are rumors that this next-gen Fable would roll things back to that standard fantasy world, including removing guns from the game.
A rebooted Fable that returns the franchise to the fantasy world of its first entry allows the developer to turn back the clock on the series for a true reboot. It also helps Fable stay in that Breath of the Wild territory while letting Fable excel with its own unique style and tone for which it is known.
Finally Achieving Fable's Big Promises
When the original Fable was in development, the game's director Peter Molyneux talked about his plans for the game, which at the time was codenamed Project Ego. The main idea was that players would pick up the controller on a 15-year-old whose parents were killed, and in a journey of revenge, players would guide their avatar through an RPG experience shaping their avatar from a teenager to an adult with total freedom of their path. Their avatar would grow up along with the world—there was a famous example that players could plant an acorn as a child and then see it grow into a tree by adulthood—and eventually have to save the entire world on their journey. It was a lifelong pursuit, with players raising up a character from childhood all the way to old age.
Molyneux has become well known at this point for his big and revolutionary ideas, which often end up being beyond the scope of the reality of the games he develops. When the original Fable launched on the original Xbox in 2004, it did not quite have that grand journey that had been promised (although it was close). But, now 16 years later, perhaps technology and design have progressed enough to allow some of those promises and dreams for Fable to finally become a reality.
Freedom like Breath of the Wild
One of the joys of playing Breath of the Wild is its sense of freedom. Like any open-world game, there are always limitations, but the magic comes when a developer can give a sense of freedom while successfully hiding the limits of its virtual world. Breath of the Wild excels at this. Fable should not copy Breath of the Wild's open world as Fable has its own beloved gameplay and style, but a next-gen Fable would do well to make the revolutionary step forward that made Breath of the Wild so endearing and engaging for the Legend of Zelda franchise.
Xbox has shown that a freedom-driven, open-world experience can be accomplished with its first-party game Sea of Thieves from developer Rare (another UK-based studio like Playground Games, by the way). While Sea of Thieves had its own ups and downs, Rare successfully reinvented the game. Again, not that a next-gen Fable should copy Sea of Thieves, but hopefully learnings (and maybe even technology) from that game could be shared between Xbox's studios to influence Fable in a way that gives players that sense of freedom and helps the game achieve the grand RPG path that was originally envisioned with Project Ego.
Is Next-Gen Fable Real?
While there are only rumors to go on, the place a next-gen Fable would likely be announced is at Xbox's virtual Series X event planned for July that will include games from its first-party studios. While many people were disappointed with the recent Series X showcase event, it seems that the July event is what fans were hoping for. Xbox is expected to roll out Halo Infinite, plus a rumored Perfect Dark game, as well as Fable.
Fable is rumored to be in development.