Fable dev reveals why studio were trusted with 10-year cycle
Playground Games' upcoming Fable revival started development back in 2016.
Fable developer Playground Games had a decade to work on the reboot because Xbox view the title as "vital" to its DNA.
Ralph Fulton, who has served as the director for the iconic franchise's upcoming reboot, has opened up on its lengthy development cycle, having been announced in 2020, years after work started on the project.
Ralph told The Guardian newspaper: "I genuinely think Fable is an important game.
"What has protected us over a long development cycle is that so many people within Xbox view Fable as vital to the DNA of the platform.
“I would go a step further and say it’s important to video games as a whole. It offers a combination of elements that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else.”
The game is set to drop in 2027, and after such a long journey, Playground is determined to "stick the landing" when it comes to the story.
Ralph added: "Most importantly, we stick the landing.
"It’s easy to look at industry metrics saying 100 percent of people start a game and only 25 percent finish, and decide not to invest heavily in the finale. But we relentlessly pursued quality here.
"In great Fable fashion, it culminates in a choice that really challenges you to think about who you are, with a real personal cost to weigh against the outcome.”
Playground Games has previously spoken about the responsibility of reviving Fable, a franchise that has been dormant since 2018 and absent from mainline releases since Fable III in 2010.
Studio co-founder Ralph has said the reboot is built around three core pillars inherited from Lionhead Studios - those being a freedom of choice, a fairytale tone, and a distinctly British sensibility.
Those elements, he argues, are essential to preserving the series’ identity.
He told IGN: “Those things combined are for us the DNA of Fable. If you don’t hit those things, if you’re not true to those things, you’re not making a Fable game.
“So, that was something that we decided right at the start.”
Fable is set to launch on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC on February 23.
