Fable has been in the works since 2017, Playground Games reveals
Playground Games has revealed that work on its long-awaited Fable reboot began as far back as 2017, years before the project was formally announced and nearly a decade after the studio became synonymous with the Forza Horizon series.
Fable has been swirling around Playground Games since 2017.
In an interview with GamesRadar+, Playground general manager Ralph Fulton said discussions about moving beyond racing games started shortly after the release of Forza Horizon 3 in 2016.
At the time, the studio was riding high creatively and commercially, which prompted internal conversations about whether it was time to take on a new challenge.
Fulton said: “The first conversations we had about doing something other than Forza Horizon and building a second team go right the way back to the year after we shipped Forza Horizon 3.
“The team had really hit its stride, and we wanted to see if we could grow by doing something different.”
Those early talks weren’t immediately about reviving Fable, and instead, Playground focused on identifying what skills it could transfer to a new genre.
Fulton said the studio had become highly proficient in open-world design, streaming technology and large-scale game systems, strengths that naturally aligned with a role-playing game.
That’s when Fable entered the conversation.
Fulton said: “I don’t remember who mentioned it first, but as soon as I heard the word I was sold.
“We adore that series here. It just felt like the perfect match.”
Microsoft officially announced Playground’s Fable reboot in 2020, confirming the studio would take over the iconic British RPG franchise from Lionhead Studios.
Development has been slow and deliberate, with the team building a second studio alongside its ongoing Forza Horizon work.
After years of silence, Fable finally received a proper gameplay showcase at Xbox’s Developer Direct earlier this year, alongside confirmation of a late 2026 release window.
