Playground Games, the developer behind the work on the Forza Horizon series and became a part of Microsoft Studios in 2018 when it was acquired a few years after the release of Forza Horizon 3.
While it has been out of the spotlight for quite a while, the Fable series remains one of the most unique spins on roleplaying titles of its era. The original Fable introduced a flexible morality system that dramatically impacted how players experienced the game from its combat to its interactions with other characters, and the innovation and charm that characterized the original carried over into its sequels, though Fable 3 struggled by comparison. The series was developed by Lionhead Studios until the studio's closure in 2016, with the status of the franchise up in the air afterwards. Since then, rumors have persisted that Playground Games is developing a new Fable - originally rumored to be Fable IV - which have since been proven true.
According to Booty during an interview with The Guardian, Playground Games is approaching the Fable series with what amounts to a fresh set of eyes on which experiences are "core" to the franchise. To say that Playground Games was a surprising choice to develop Fable isn't much of a stretch - the studio has literally only made Forza games throughout its history up until this point, and that's an entirely different genre. To Booty, though, that's a selling point on Playground Games, and a reason why the studio will be able to innovate on Fable while ensuring a offering on the Xbox Series X:
"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 ion 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."
Booty also expanded on what he expects from the studio and what he feels is the best approach to a new Fable for Xbox Series X. According to him, there's a delicate balance between "stuff that everyone wants you to bring along" and taking those elements to "new places." What that means for Fable in particular is still unclear, but it seems unlikely that Playground Games won't stray from the path at least a little based on Booty's comments.
Booty's perspective is a smart one, and it should help assuage fears that Playground Games might not have the experience to do a Fable game "right." Just because a developer hasn't done a genre before doesn't mean it can't bring its own brand of high-quality, finely-crafted gameplay to it, and everything consumers have seen from Playground indicates that will be the case. While the Fable trailer didn't showcase gameplay, it did illustrate one of Booty's points about "naturalistic landscapes," as the environment on display in the trailer during Xbox Games Showcase was gorgeous. It's hard to say without a look at the next version of the swashbuckling, high-fantasy combat that defined Fable prior to its newest iteration, but if nothing else, the trailer alone should give fans reason to believe Playground Games is the right developer for the job.
Fable is currently in development Xbox Series X. It currently has no release date.
Source: The Guardian
