Sometimes, the expectations that fans have for a game are more important to defining its success than its actual quality. In the same sense, expectations are what can push a game to really reach its true potential. There's lots of upcoming games that have a lot of fans to please, whether it's Diablo 4, Horizon Forbidden West, Breath of the Wild 2, or any of the other high profile sequels still on the horizon. While sequels have to follow that rule, reboots have to follow it even more closely. When it comes to reboots, Fable might be the most significant renaissance going on right now.
Fable is a classic RPG series. It helped define choice and morality based gaming experiences during the 2000s and remains a shining jewel in the crown of Xbox history, and many would agree that Fable's reboot has to find a way to recapture that fantasy glory on the Xbox Series X and S. While Fable's name goes a long way, it has reason to be worried. The Xbox environment has changed a lot since Fable 3 came out, especially in the last year or so. Fable has a lot of competition to overcome, and not just on other consoles, as there's some really significant fantasy games coming up that could edge out Fable's territory on the new generation of the Xbox.
The Race to Impress
The pace of Fable's production might not make or break the new game's success, for one thing, but it will help manage expectations now that it has been announced. Unfortunately, fans know that Fable isn't as far along as they initially hoped, even though the new game was rumored for a couple years before its announcement. Fable still had job listings for some really important development positions as of mid August, and even if those positions have been filled in by now, that means serious development on the game is probably only just starting. After all, it's hard for Playground Games to get to work on this reboot without any people to actually work on it.
Meanwhile, Fable has a couple fantasy rivals on the Xbox coming up, both developed by studios that Microsoft recently acquired. For one, Obsidian Entertainment is working on Avowed, which will take players back to the world of Pillars of Eternity in a new way. For another, Microsoft just got a huge acquisition in the form of Bethesda. That means The Elder Scrolls 6 is sure to get some level of special treatment on the Xbox Series X and S. Playground Games needs to make a Fable game of a caliber that can compete with RPG titans like Obsidian and Bethesda, which might be a tall order, considering all its previous experience comes from Forza Horizon and not fantasy RPGs.
A Chance to Shine
In spite of the worthy rivals, the development time, and more, Playground Games should be optimistic about its situation. After years focusing on Forza Horizon, now it can branch out into something very different and show off its talent. It surely knows that it has a very important fantasy property on its hands; Playground Games will be taking the responsibility seriously. It has to prove itself to Fable fans and established fans of the studio alike.
What's more, Playground is in a very different place from where it used to be. It has another similarity to Obsidian and Bethesda: it's also a very recent Microsoft acquisition. Microsoft wants Fable to succeed as much as fans do. Therefore, it's safe to assume that, under the roof of Xbox Game Studios, Fable is bound to be enthusiastically supported just like Avowed and The Elder Scrolls 6 surely are. Expectations don't just mean pressure on Playground to perform, it also means Microsoft enthusiastically putting resources into the game. The amount of pressure that's on the mysterious new Fable game might be just the motivation Playground and Microsoft need to make something great.
Fable is currently in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.