Fable 4 is Happening – Here’s What We Know

The Fable series was a bit tumultuous. The games tried to be unique, and they definitely were – some better than others. Both Fable I and II were immensely popular and great games, and III was…well it happened. Now we know that Fable 4 will soon be with us.

To be fair to it, it was still a pretty good game, but it failed to amaze the way the other two did. After the three main titles, remasters and smaller titles were released, but fans kept hoping for a new one. Problem was, the studio that made the games was Lionhead. If you keep up with these things, it closed down a couple years ago, making another title more than unlikely.

Lionhead also made a few other notable games, including the Black & White series, but that didn’t stop them from closing down. So, it seemed like the world of Albion was forever closed to us. Luckily, this isn’t the case. We now know better. In January this year, Eurogamer was able to confirm that Fable 4 not only exists, but is actually in semi-active development. According to sources close to the project (yes, that’s what they decided to call them) the next Fable is coming from a UK company.

More specifically, UK-based developer PlayGround Games. The studio has made the Forza Horizon series, in case you’re not familiar with the name. The company is recruiting for its new office in Leamington Spa – in case you’re looking for a new gig – and plans to hire around 200 people to work on it. That’s a good sized team for a milestone title like Fable 4.

Fans will be happy to hear that the new studio won’t try to reinvent the wheel to make their mark – they’ll take their cure from previous games in the main series. It will be a story-driven title set as an open-world action RPG.

Although PlayGround Games hasn’t openly advertised that this is the game they’re working on, they have been recruiting for an AAA open-world RPG. This caused rumours – well of course it did, it happened on the Internet – and people suspected that they may be making a new Forza Horizon game. Alas that series open-world but not an RPG, so it doesn’t quite fit.

This kind of secret has a way of leaking out of course, and so other evidence was found. An Xbox Live API leaked and suggested that the new game was called Wisdom – whether that’s a codename or the actual title is unknown. We do know that Fable: Wisdom is a little lukewarm though, so we’re hoping for something more inspired.

One of the Lionhead devs, Don Williamson tweeted about this and then promptly deleted the tweet. He somewhat sarcastically tweeted “Mmm ok, having no inside information, I totally know who’s building Fable 4 now. Interesting choice…”. That wasn’t it though – another user asked whether the new studio was located in Brighton. His reply was “There’s nobody here in Brighton that could take on a task of that magnitude.” Since there are some game development studios in the Brighton area, that was a little mean, but then the Lead Engine Programmer probably knows what they’re talking about, so there is that.

In fact, other team members had thoughts on this matter too: “I have slightly mixed feelings,” said Fable co-creator Simon Carter, in an interview. “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, 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.”

If throughout this you’ve gotten excited, sorry we’re about to rain on your parade. Since the studio is still recruiting, the game is still a long way away from being completed and ready for release. As such, the most we are hoping for is a short trailer with some ideas at the upcoming E3.

Since we all know that the Xbox desperately needs a few new exclusive titles, this could be a big game-changer for fans of the console. With Sea of Thieves, Crackdown 3 and not too much else, the console definitely needs it.

Fable 4 console

One thing we do know for sure – if you are hopefully clutching a PS4 controller while reading this, you’re going to have to put that down. The Intellectual Property of Fable and the Albion universe is owned by Microsoft, so there is pretty much no chance at all of it ever coming out for the PlayStation. Sorry folks. Luckily for you, there are plenty of other exclusives to entertain yourself with.

TEAM WHO MADE THE WITCHER ARE DEVELOPING ANOTHER RPG