Fable 4: Release Date, Trailer, and Everything We Know
Fable fans’ last adventure in Albion was in 2010. Fable III put players at the Industrial Revolution’s helm, as guns and gothic architecture told another classic story of good versus evil. With a handful of side projects, including Fable Legends and Fable: The Journey, fans waited over a decade for a new Fable game. As a possible re-launch to the series, the aptly-named Fable is the next major installment in the franchise. While fans got something of a teaser trailer in 2020, Fable didn’t appear at E3 2021. Here’s everything we know about the future of Fable 4.
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Release date
There is no definite release date for Fable 4, and players shouldn’t get their hopes up anytime soon. If it were releasing in 2022, there would be more information available to the public. Playground Games would have made mention of it at the Xbox Game Awards as well. Hopefully, players don’t have to wait as long as they did for Cyberpunk 2077, and we all know how that turned out.
Platforms
Fable is still in development for Xbox Series X|S and PC. Sorry, PlayStation users, you will not be able to venture around Albion on your Sony console. Fable has always been one of Xbox’s most revered exclusive games. With the game still in early development, it wouldn’t make sense for developers to add an Xbox One port.
Trailer
What fans are calling “Fable 4” is actually a reboot of the series simply called Fable. This is not a simple remaster of the original game. Fans will be getting a new adventure in the Fable universe. This game will be telling a new story while incorporating elements from past Fable games. The reboot of the series ties nicely into the rumored story arch behind the game.
Gameplay
The biggest piece of gameplay news comes from Fable‘s combat design. Paweł Kapała, the combat designer for CD Projekt Red, jumped ship to join Playground Games to work on Fable. For a game centered around combat, bringing on a new designer tells us that the game is far from ready. Kapala spent the past two years developing the melee and firearm combat system for Cyberpunk 2077.
Fable is resorting back to its roots of magic and other medieval-style weaponry. From the reveal trailer itself, we can determine that Fable will be full of fantastical creatures and elements. Fable II had a few rudimentary uses for gun powder, while Fable III focused on guns.
Morality is the mechanic that made players fall in love with Fable. The game allowed players to make choices, both hard and easy, to ultimately determine their Hero’s appearance. Making “immoral” choices would see devil horns sprouting out of the Hero’s head. We can say pretty positively that morality will be returning in the Fable reboot. Removing it would be like taking Master Chief out of Halo.
Fable III allowed players to control Albion and make decisions based on the city’s current economic state. While we aren’t sure if players will be in charge of the entire town, it looks like they’ll be able to manage their own settlements. The same tough decisions will most likely come into play but on a smaller scale.
Finally, and most importantly, the game will look like Fable. We’ll dive into the reboot’s developer in the next section, but players can rest assured knowing the game they’ve been waiting almost a decade for will maintain the same art style. It’ll look polished on Xbox Series X and PC.
An in-depth breakdown of the reveal trailer offers some interesting opinions about what players can expect from the Fable reboot.
Multiplayer
There are rumors of multiplayer/co-op capabilities; however, we’ll learn more as time passes. According to Windows Central on Twitter, Fable will NOT be an MMO. Fable is rumored to be set in a distant future, eons after The Mad King used the Tattered Spire and wished for an asteroid to destroy the entire town. He was successful, and the world has since rebuilt itself to a second medieval era. We’ve been led to believe that our Hero’s story will be about traveling back in time and preventing this catastrophe from ever happening. The Fable reboot is set to be an open-world action RPG.
No, Fable isn't an MMO and no, the multiplayer for #HaloInfinite isn't being delayed. https://t.co/G2QzqZBLvJ
— Windows Spooky Gaming 💀 (@WCGamingTweets) July 24, 2020
While Avengers Endgame-level time travel may be Fable’s main quest, you will have an infinite amount of fun building your own towns, developing relationships, and, hopefully, training your canine companion.
DLC
Fable games of old offered players plenty of DLC in the realm of cosmetic items and weapon packs. Some of these DLC packs came with unique quests for players to go on as well. There was never any major DLC put out for past Fable games. We’re comparing this to something like the Dragonborn DLC from Skyrim. However, with the Fable reboot being launched on Xbox Series X|S, it wouldn’t be surprising if developers were able to put out large patches of that nature. It’s been ingrained in modern gaming and is the preferred alternative to purchasing a $60 sequel.
Pre-order
There is currently no way to pre-order Fable. However, every major game will always come with the ability to pre-order a copy. For a franchise as big as Fable, pre-orders will probably be made public shortly after a release date is set.
Developers
Fable is currently being developed by Playground Games, the company most famous for the Forza Horizon series. This begs players to ask why a company that stakes its claim to fame on racing games has been put in charge of the Fable reboot. For starters, one of Fable’s most charming qualities is its dry British humor. In case you didn’t know, Playground Games is based out of the U.K. In an interview with The Guardian, head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty, had this to say:
“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.”
It’s important to know that the original team behind Fable has been scrapped. Co-creator Simon Carter said he had some mixed feelings on the matter. In an interview with Eurogamer, Carter stated:
“On the one hand, it’s great for the U.K. games industry and very pleasing that Fable isn’t dead. 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 to 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.”
He’s right. Fable certainly is a weird game in the most lovely way. While Microsoft is putting its full faith in Playground, nobody will re-create the original developers’ brainchild.
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