Playground Games has said very little about its Fable reboot so far. Even though the game has supposedly been in development for several years, Playground still seems to prefer keeping a lid on its progress until it's nearly complete. However, Fable fans have still learned quite a bit about the game thanks to the many job listings that Playground has posted over the years. For instance, thanks to these listings, fans know that Fable will be open world. That's a slight departure from the past Fable games, which were generally split up into separate areas and were driven by at least partially linear gameplay.
The change to an open world isn't entirely surprising, given how popular open worlds are in the game industry nowadays. Nevertheless, it could have a major impact on Fable's final form. On the one hand, an open world gives Playground room to stretch its legs in the RPG space and capitalize on some of its established game development skills. On the other hand, in order to compete with other open world RPGs, Fable will have to meet some high standards. The open world turn is likely a positive overall, but Playground's reboot is under some significant pressure nevertheless.
The Benefits and Risks of Fable's Open World
Playground Games isn't known for developing RPGs, so an open world could provide a very valuable learning experience for the studio. Open worlds are famously good at bestowing a sense of freedom and discovery on the player; while crafting the world map of Fable, Playground will have more opportunities to create small, exciting standalone adventures than it otherwise might when making a linear RPG. Fable's open world could also benefit from Playground's work on the Forza Horizon games. Thanks to this racing series, Playground has a lot of experience in making big, beautiful landscapes
The open world comes with some burdens too. In the last few years, game developers have created some truly stunning open worlds, especially for RPGs. Guerrilla Games earned widespread acclaim for Horizon Zero Dawn and its vast open world, and more recently, FromSoftware's Dark Souls heir Elden Ring has been hailed for its rich overworld. Even if Fable's story and mechanics are entirely different from these games, its open world will inevitably be compared to the standard set by games like Elden Ring, meaning there's a high bar for Fable to clear if it wants to impress fans and critics. Even if it's already a step forward for Fable, the reboot's open world needs to be compelling overall.
Fable's Open World is a Good Thing
Even if Fable will be under a lot of pressure to deliver, Playground's choice to use an open world is the right call. The current popularity of open worlds means that Fable has a shot at appealing to a broad audience of RPG fans, even those who have never interacted with Fable before. Its value as a learning experience for Playground Games can't be understated either. Elden Ring, Horizon Zero Dawn, and their peers may raise expectations for Fable, but they also serve as excellent source material for Playground Games as it figures out how to make a good open world. The world design elements found in these games can help Playground Games develop new RPG creation skills.
Playground Games has given no clear sign of when Fable gameplay will be revealed, but regardless of the timing, Playground is bound to spotlight Fable's open world early on. The world that Playground has crafted, whether it's Albion or a new setting, will define everything from the game's story to its combat, meaning Playground needs to show off Fable's world first. Regardless of the types of overworld activities Playground has in mind, it's great to see the the Fable reboot take the franchise in a direction with so much potential.
Fable is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.