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’sDiablo 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,Fablemight be the most significant renaissance going on right now.
Fableis 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 thatFable’s reboot has to find a way to recapture that fantasy glory on the Xbox Series X and S. WhileFable’s name goes a long way, it has reason to be worried. The Xbox environment has changed a lot sinceFable 3came out, especially in the last year or so.Fablehas 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 outFable’s territory on the new generation of the Xbox.
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The Race to Impress
The pace ofFable’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 thatFableisn’t as far along as they initially hoped, even though the new game was rumored for a couple years before its announcement.Fablestill had job listingsfor 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,Fablehas a couple fantasy rivals on the Xbox coming up, both developed by studios that Microsoft recently acquired. For one, Obsidian Entertainment is working onAvowed,which will take players back to the world ofPillars of Eternityin a new way. For another, Microsoft just got a huge acquisition in the form of Bethesda. That meansThe Elder Scrolls 6is sure to get some level of special treatment on the Xbox Series X and S. Playground Games needs to make aFablegame 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 fromForza Horizonand not fantasy RPGs.
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A Chance to Shine
In spite of the worthy rivals, the development time, and more, Playground Games should be optimistic about its situation. Afteryears focusing onForza 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 toFablefans 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 wantsFableto succeedas much as fans do. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that, under the roof of Xbox Game Studios,Fableis bound to be enthusiastically supported just likeAvowedandThe Elder Scrolls6surely 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 newFablegame might be just the motivation Playground and Microsoft need to make something great.
Fableis currently in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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