The Fable series is set to expand – despite the studio behind the first three titles collapsing in 2016. According to Eurogamer, PlayGround Games will be taking over future developments on the property for Microsoft.
The last Fable release was the third entry in the franchise, which received mixed reviews back in 2010.
This makes sense, as the company is currently hiring over 200 people to fill out it’s Leamington Spa based second offices. PlayGround is the team behind the Forza Horizon series and, whilst it has yet to be confirmed that this is the title they are working on, it’s hard to imagine it could be anything else.
They are advertising for workers on an AAA open-world RPG title – and whilst Forza is certainly an AAA title, it isn’t RPG, and the team don’t currently have any high-profile titles on their roster.
The Fable franchise started with Fable (above) for the original Xbox in 2004.
Fable co-founder Simon Carter spoke to Eurogamer after they revealed the news of the new title: “I have slightly mixed feelings.
“On the one hand it’s great for the UK games industry, and very pleasing that Fable isn’t dead; indeed, it will be lovely to play one as a punter, without coming out in hives.
“On the other hand, it is a little curious to get rid of the team that is uniquely expert in making Fable, and then try and make Fable. Fable is a weird game, and a tough one to deconstruct for a new team. That said, the team in question is very talented, and I’m sure they’ll do a fantastic job.”
Microsoft must trust PlayGround – after all the Forza series has been a smash hit for Microsoft, one of the most successful Xbox titles. It’s likely that a new Fable release would be treated as an exclusive in the same way these racing games are – it’d certainly be a selling point for the Microsoft console which is in need of some new-gen exclusives to boost it’s selling points.
So it looks like we should be set to return to the land of Albion soon enough – but it will most likely be a little while yet. As the developers are just hiring, the game is in very earliest stages of development. The most we should hope for now is some more information – and possibly a short trailer – at one of this summer’s conferences.
