It has been nearly a decade since Fable III’s release. To the layman observer, it is uncertain why it’s taken so long to produce a current-gen entry in the series. Nonetheless, it looks like the fourth game in the series might be released on Microsoft’s fourth-generation console (the Xbox Series X).
It could also have a multi-platform release on the Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC. More and more console games are coming out on the PC because modern consoles have virtually the same architecture as gaming PCs. I digress. In the following guide, we’ll explore Fable IV rumors like these and more.
July Update
It looks like our suspicions (as well as all the internet chatter) were correct. We will be seeing a new Fable for the Xbox Series X. In fact, it was the final reveal at the July Xbox showcase event.
Confirmed –Playground Games are indeed the ones developing it. Microsoft choosing them to head this project was a strange choice, considering that their experience lies in racing games.
However, according to Matt Booty (thanks to my juvenile sense of humor, I can’t help but laugh at his name), the head of Xbox Games Studios, in his conversation with Keith Stuart from the Guardian, it’s Playground’s experience with large open worlds that was so enticing.
He said: “I just look at what Playground has done with the Horizon series – that attention to detail, the ability to represent these naturalistic landscapes. They also have a real passion for the IP and a unique point of view on what’s core to Fable. Everything I’ve seen as the game progresses tells me this is going to be a very high-quality release.”
This is encouraging but of course, an executive would talk up the product and what was essentially his decision.
There were some very disconcerting rumors circulating not-so-long-ago about the new Fable being an MMO.
Thankfully they were partially debunked by Booty (he, he, he). On the subject, he said:
“With any kind of franchise like that, where you’ve had existing versions, there’s always that balance between what you’re going to bring forward, what still stands up, and what you want to add that’s new. It’s like the challenge of making a new Star Wars movie – there’s stuff that everyone wants you to bring along, but then you’ve got a responsibility to take that to new places and I trust Playground has a good vision for that.”
Star Wars is a very bad example. The game does look like it will be a (soft) reboot but hopefully, they don’t make a mess of it as J.J Abrams and co did with the post-George Lucas Star Wars trilogy. Nevertheless, we now have a trailer and can almost confirm that the game will come out in late 2020 as an Xbox X-series launch title or mid-2021 (if there are any delays).
Fable IV: What, When, and How
It’s a small wonder that gamers have not forgotten about the Fable series. Then again, if you look at the impact and the cultural significance of the first Fable, it’s not hard to see why gamers still hold the series on such a high pedestal.
Fable II is one of the best games on the Xbox 360. Fable III is one of the best RPGs of all time. Since then, there have been innovative RPGs, who’ve taken some of the elements presented in Fable and improved upon them.
However, they can’t replicate Fable’s charm and personality. In this following guide, we’ll detail when Fable IV is set to be released, a few leaks and rumors as well as gameplay information. Without further ado…
Fable IV: Release Date
There have been rumors circulating about Fable IV’s development for years now. Ironically, most of these rumors were essentially fairy tales. Many had hoped that an official Fable IV announcement would make its way onto E3 2019. Despite a leak on Reddit, Fable IV did not make an appearance during E3.
In 2017 Tweet, executive vice-president of Gaming at Microsoft, Phil Spencer said there was nothing to announce at the moment but he did believe that the franchise had a lot of places it could go. Using that information, we could theorize that the development of the game started around 2017 and 2018.
So far, there have not been any trailers or official announcements. It would be a huge surprise if Fable IV came out in late 2020. I predict that we can expect it to come out in 2021, probably around summer in the Northern hemisphere.
Overall, there have not been any release dates, whether soft or concrete. You can’t even pre-order the game from any of the major stores. However, as more information comes out, you can expect us to update this section.
Fable IV: Timeline
We felt that the best way to bring you past news and reveals about Fable IV is to format it into a timeline. This makes it easier to structure out all the information we have found from Fable’s conception up until now.
Key parts of the gameplay, as well as the story, will be revealed here as well. We wanted to make the information as comprehensive as possible. Forgive us for going too deep into the rabbit hole. But we felt like we needed to connect the dots and present you with as much information as possible.
2016 -2017
On the 29th of April 2016, beloved gaming developer, Lionhead was officially shut down by Microsoft. Its employees were absorbed into Microsoft’s other studios.
According to a blog entry written by Hanno Lemke, the general manager of Microsoft Studios Europe:
“These have been tough decisions and we have not made them lightly, nor are they a reflection on these development teams, These changes are taking effect as Microsoft Studios continues to focus its investment and development on the games and franchises that fans find most exciting and want to play.”
What was most disheartening about the news is that Fable Legends, a co-operative RPG in the making since 2012 was canceled around the same time Lionhead’s shutdown was announced. At the time of all these happenings, Microsoft had been losing the console war against Sony and Nintendo.
They must have felt that Falbe Legends wasn’t going to be enticing enough to attract gamers. At the time of its death, Lionhead Studios was 22-years old. It was an important part of gaming history.
2017 – 2018
After the death of Lionhead Studios, it seemed that fans would have to give up on a sequel. If there was a sequel, it would have to be developed by another game studio.
A fine example of this is the Darksiders franchise. Despite THQ’s dismemberment, we still got new games in the franchise. Another reason to maintain hope is that many of Lionhead’s employees still work for Microsoft.
They could easily repurpose some of the gameplay, sounds, and character models from Fable Legends.
Yet still, because of the Microsoft canceling Fable Legends and disbanding Lionhead, it looked like they had completely lost confidence in the series.
For those of us who maintained hope, a Tweet from Phil Spencer vindicated us. In the Tweet, he said: “Nothing to announce right now but I do think the IP has a lot of places it could go.”.
Maybe we were reading too much into the Tweet but it gave us enough to hold on to hope.
During this period, a few ex-employees of Lionhead created an online game to keep the Fable name alive. Fable Fortune is a virtual free-to-play card game for the PC and console. It was developed by Flaming Fowl Studios and published by Mediatonic for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox One on the 22nd of February 2019.
Since Flaming Fowl studios was made up of ex-Lionhead members, Microsoft offered to sell the license to them. The game launched to mixed reviews but it was still a great way to keep the Fable name alive.
2018-2019
One of Resetara’s many reputable leakers, Klobrille, had revealed that a new Fable was in development by a UK-based studio. The working title of the new game was Wisdom. The details at the time were still quite vague, leaving many users to make up their own theories.
Klobrille has quite a good reputation for leaking Microsoft insider information. A good example of this is his past leak of Microsoft’s E3 2016 press conference.
The leaks were discovered through Microsoft’s showcase of its new API and upcoming titles that would use the API.
In January 2018, ex-Lionhead programmer, Donald Williamson tweeted out: “Mmm ok, having no inside information, I totally know who’s building Fable 4 now. Interesting choice”
He then later deleted the tweet because of the influx of questions he was receiving from various Twitter users. He replaced it with one saying: “Deleted previous tweet because people seem to think I have some knowledge of something that may or may not be happening whereas all I have is speculation.”
He also responded to a question about whether the studio would be based in Brighton or somewhere else. He stated: “there’s nobody here in Brighton that could take on a task of that magnitude.”
The reason for the question is because Brighton is currently the location of Electric Square, a game studio that is a sister company to Studio Gobo. They are known for their work on mobile games such as a Forza Street and Hot Wheels id. At that time, they were working on a mysterious title for Microsoft. At first, it was speculated that this title would be Fable IV. The problem with this speculation is Electric Studios has never worked on a title that is as expansive as Fable IV which does somewhat warrant Williamson’s tweet.
However, he may have been trolling. Maybe he was being sarcastic while leading some users off the scent. Still, there are a slew of great studios that are UK-based.
For instance, there’s Playground Games, the studio responsible for the Forza Horizon series. This goes hand in hand with a job listing that was posted around 2017, that was looking for employees to work on ‘an entirely new AAA open-world action RPG’.
The wording in the listing has since been modified from ‘entirely new’ into ‘exciting, large-scale’. At the time the entire job listing read: “Playground Games is looking for a Senior Game Designer to join our brand-new development team. You’ll join the team and the project at an early stage, giving you the rare opportunity to shape the future of an exciting, large-scale open-world action / RPG AAA title from the outset.”
If you’re interested, you can apply for the job on Playground Games’ career page on their official website.
What we can surmise from this information is that there was indeed a Fable game being worked on during this time period.
In an interview with Eurogamer, Fable’s co-creator, Simon Carter had this to say: “I have slightly mixed feelings, on the one hand, it’s great for the UK games industry, and very pleasing that Fable isn’t dead; indeed, it will be lovely to play one as a punter, without coming out in hives.
On the other hand, it is a little curious to get rid of the team that is uniquely expert in making Fable, and then try and make Fable. Fable is a weird game, and a tough one to deconstruct for a new team. That said, the team in question is very talented, and I’m sure they’ll do a fantastic job.”
Reading this is very heart-breaking. Watching Microsoft half-step because it can’t keep up with its rivals is quite funny but not when it is at the expense of hard-working devs like Lionhead.
A key reason as to why Microsoft’s interest in an action RPG exclusive is Sony’s success with Horizon Zero Dawn. Compared to the PlayStation 4’s immense library of exclusive titles, the Xbox’s library of exclusive IPs is pretty destitute.
They’ve essentially realized that there is a market for complex story-driven action RPGs. Unfortunately, it’s a lesson that’s been learned too late. Much like Hellblade 2, it seems that Fable IV will be an Xbox Series X exclusive.
Hopefully, the next-gen will be a clean slate for Microsoft. Ted Timmins, an ex-Lionhead developer who now works for Microsoft Studio’s Rare had this to say: “I was a Fable (Project Ego!) fan before I was a Fable developer, so the thought of one of my favorite franchises of all time rumored to be making a comeback excites me greatly.”
Fans should be as excited as him. There is at least one silver lining around the fact that Lionhead is developing Fable anymore. Fans won’t ever have to hear Peter Molyneux’s empty promises regarding the Fable series.
2019-2020
Early 2019 was still devoid of any development details or news regarding the next installment of Fable. However, it became more and more clear that if there was anyone was working on Fable 4, it would be Playground Studio from their 200-man building in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.
Fans had hoped to see Fable during E3 2019, but it failed to make an appearance. However, later that year, some details would be leaked on Reddit by LagSwag1. There was actual video footage. Unfortunately, the video was taken down. Luckily there was a transcript or summary of sorts underneath the Reddit post.
According to the details extracted from the leak, you can switch between first and third-person views. There’s a more hands-on character creator. The game is completely open. It goes beyond Albion. You might be able to explore new lands and even planets.
There are no guns, which is a weird choice. Players will also be allowed to forego the main quest, explore the land, and essentially never become a hero. It will allow players to build entire towns, not just houses.
The town-building feature will influence the main quest. The game is also set to include some multiplayer. The game will be built using the Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.
The game is set in the distant future where Albion and Aurora have been reduced to myths. For those of you who are familiar with the Fable mythos, you’ll recognize the fabled Spire from the previous games. According to a story mode leak, a mad king found a way to rebuild The Spire and use it to destroy most of the planet through an asteroid from outer space.
He also made a wish that it would happen again in the distant future. It took ages for humanity to rebuild itself. From the ashes came a new world with new continents. Most of it is medieval themed.
As the main character, you’ll have to stop the planet’s imminent destruction. To make it feel like a Fable game, characters from the previous games make a return. For instance, Jack of Blades and Theresa.
Apparently, time travel will be a key part of the game.
2020
2020 is Fable 4’s theorized year of release. However, at the time of writing this article, we hadn’t received any trailers, whether it be an announcement or gameplay trailer. Fable 4 might be in the middle stages of its development.
The COVID-19 pandemic may further delay its completion and release too. So far, 2020 hasn’t given us any more leaks or rumors regarding Fable IV. However, logically, we can now confirm that Fable IV will be an Xbox Series X launch game.
Fable IV: What We Can Expect
A Deep Story
Based on its name and past games, Fable IV can be expected to be intensely story-focused. To accomplish this, you need a great writer at the helm. Rumors are that we can expect to see work from Kim MacAskill who is known for work on Batman: Arkham Knight. She will also be joined by fellow Martin Lancaster who will be the narrative director, and Craig Owens, who will be the principal scriptwriter.
In an interview with IGN, Peter Molyneux (Fable’s creator) stated: “Fable story hinted at a dramatic time before Fable 1 when the Guild was founded, this would be a perfect setting for Fable 4, the land of Albion would be much more primitive, the magic much more attuned to nature, the combat much more brutal. The story would follow the founding members of the heroes guild, why it was set up.”
I’m sure a lot of fans wouldn’t mind a Fable prequel. However, what we’ve seen from the leaks is that it won’t be the case. The game won’t even be set in Albion. But we can guess that the main characters in Fable 4 will be able to travel back in time and possibly visit Albion before its complete annihilation.
Compelling Gameplay and Combat
Molyneux also said: “[I’d] love to see brutal, visceral and a fluid combat system that left permanent scars. Weapons like short swords, long swords, daggers, spears, longbows, and crossbows all having their own combat feel and specialties.”
This something most gamers would concur to. A more fluid Batman-Arkham-like combat system would suit Fable well. However, I’ve always felt that Fable had a great combat system. Yes, it could be tweaked and made better but a complete departure would be unnecessary.
A Bit of Familiarity
One of the more interesting points that Molyneux made during the IGN interview was about improving the magic system and being able to choose your own familiar. In the previous games, you could have a dog as your companion.
Why not allow gamers to choose the species of their familiar. Why not have a pet tiger like King Ezekiel from the Walking Dead? Why not a wolf or eagle/owl? Or how about a horse you can tame and mount, Red Dead Redemption style.
Speaking of which, Playground Games have been hiring talents from Rockstar North as well as Ninja Theory and DICE. Hopefully, through this combined experience and talent, we will get a game with the open-world depth of GTA/RDR and the combat of Ninja Theory titles DmC.
It’s already been speculated that you’ll be able to use a horse to traverse most of the game’s landscape. Why not go further and allow players to travel in vehicles or flying contraptions, just like you can in Biomutant. This may be the case, as one of the leaks did reveal that players would be able to engage in both space and time travel.
A More Nuanced Alignment Feature
In the past Fable games, depending on which side of the alignment meter you were on, your character would either morph into an angelic being or a demonic one. One of the things I hated most about Fable II is the time jump as well as the fact that you couldn’t completely reverse the morphing, no matter how much good you did.
There is a catch 22 in Fable 2 that forces you to do some evil for the greater good. By the end of the game, my character looked like a used tampon (pardon the visual). Characters should be able to redeem themselves and heal. That’s what I want to see from Fable IV.
Furthermore, a more nuanced alignment meter would also be great, where being a thief or a killer impacts both what you’ll morph into as well as your alignment.
I also hope that Fable IV makes it easier to realign your character and give him/her a chance at redemption and healing.
Molyneux does regret the time jumps from the previous games and he hopes that there won’t be any in the future game.
Multiplayer
I’ve never been particularly a huge fan of multiplayer in RPG games. I won’t lie though, it’s fun invading other players’ worlds in games like Dark Souls. I’m not sure if this works the same way in Fable. However, you may have a co-op multiplayer experience quite similar to what we might have had with Fable Legends.
Fable Legends was centered around four allies and a villain. You could play as either one of the four heroes or the villain.
To be perfectly honest with you, I would be happy without the multiplayer. Horizon Zero Dawn and Hellblade both succeeded without it.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let anyone lie to you, there are some great Xbox One exclusives out there. Unfortunately, Fable IV won’t be one of them in the future. There is still a lot of speculation and uncertainty. Not only about Fable but the future fate of humankind.
Will humanity survive long enough to see the next generation in consoles? Will we be alive long enough to see the first trailer for Fable IV? I hope so. Everything we do know about Fable IV is documented and presented in the above guide. In addition to this, we know that there are some great RPGs coming out in 2020. While none of them may be Fable IV, they are still worth checking out.
As more information pours out, we will update this article. Either way, thank you for reading and stay safe.