Fable 4 — what we know so far now

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All the information we’ve gathered thus far regarding Fable 4 is here.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Since the game’s announcement nearly two years ago, we haven’t heard anything about Fable 4. Nothing official has been released thus far, save for a trailer that appears to have been made with the game engine.

In any case, we’re hoping to hear more about Fable 4 at E3 2023, when Microsoft and Bethesda are expected to have a significant presence. If this is the case, we’d like to see some actual gameplay and get a clearer picture of how Fable 4 will look.

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Fable 4 is still a ways off, but in the meanwhile, we’ve done some research to bring you everything we’ve found out about the game. Discover all there is to know about Fable 4 by joining us on our adventure.

Fable 4 rumours and news

There was no mention of Fable 4 during this year’s Xbox games showcase, which took the place of E3 this year.

However, given the showcase was focused on games that would be released in the next 12 months, we learned that Fable 4 won’t be arriving anytime soon. Even a year from now, we don’t expect to hear anything about it.

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Trailer for the upcoming video game Fable 4.

Though it might be in-engine footage thanks to the Xbox Series X’s capability, the lone Fable 4 video doesn’t give anything away about the game’s plot. However, we’d anticipate an open-world game with a British dark fairy tale tone to be the norm.

Release date rumours for Fable 4

Before you lash out in the comments section, realise this: we have no idea when Fable 4 will be published. That much we know is that it’s in the works. Take this as a placeholder for future changes.

As far as we’re aware, there isn’t much progress being made on Fable 4. There was no mention of Fable 4 during the most recent Xbox showcase, so we’re quite sure we’ll have to wait another year or more for the game to arrive.

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Fable 4 might arrive as early as 2023 or as late as 2024, depending on how things shake out. Even if it’s expected to be released prior to the release of The Elder Scrolls 6, don’t hold your breath for Fable 4.

Fable 4 leaks and speculation

The existence of Fable 4 had been hinted at in a number of little ways. Klobrille, a well-known insider on the Resetera games site, has stated that Fable 4 will be unveiled during the Xbox 20/20 games presentation on June 23rd. Those claims turned out to be correct.

Until that moment, the future of Fable 4 appeared much more uncertain. There has been a lot of buzz about the possibility of an announcement for Fable after a Microsoft employee was seen following the placeholder @Fable Twitter account. Though this was first seen as a hint that Fable 4 might be announced at E3, Xbox general manager Aaron Greenberg quickly batted it down.

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Please forgive me if I’ve jinxed the situation by raising your hopes. “It’s common procedure to encrypt social handles for our intellectual property,” Greenberg added.

Cold water was thrown on the flames of recent conjecture. Other indications about Fable 4 have appeared over the previous few years. When asked about Fable 4 in a tweet in 2017, Phil Spencer said that Xbox Game Studios has nothing to reveal but that the Fable IP had “a lot of areas it might go.”

On the other hand, IGN(opens in new tab) discovered that Microsoft has applied for a renewal of the Fable trademark on June 26, with Microsoft also registering an intent to use. The Fable trademark has yet to be confirmed or denied by Microsoft.

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Ex-Lead Engine Programmer Don Williamson claimed in 2018 that he was aware of an upcoming Fable 4 development team, however he later removed the post. Playground Games appears to be the company behind the project..

To make matters worse, Reddit(opens in new tab) started leaking large amounts of information about Fable 4 right before E3 2019. The Spire, which Fable 2 players will recall was something you had to gain control of from dictator Lucien Fairfax, has been utterly destroyed by an asteroid summoned down by a crazy monarch, according to the leak.

In the absence of any official confirmation, a development source has revealed that Fable 4 will be an open-world RPG rather than an MMO. Many were concerned that the game’s teaser, which showed a vast universe, would be similar to World of Warcraft.

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Despite the fact that the game will have certain online components, such as cooperative gameplay or restricted shared open places, a reliable source told Windows Central(opens in new tab) that the game would not be an MMO. As a result, Fable fans can look forward to a game with a big environment to explore and a robust single-player component.

Fable 4 needs to offer something unique to the franchise in order to keep it fresh, but not stray too far off the trodden road, as Microsoft president of studios Matt Booty explained in an interview with The Guardian. It might be possible to accomplish this through an MMO, but Fable 4 will not take this route.

With any type of series like that, when there are previous iterations, there is always a balance between what you’re going to bring forward, what still holds up, and what you want to add that’s fresh,” Booty said. In the same way that everyone expects you to include certain elements in the next Star Wars film, you also have to take responsibility for introducing those elements to new locations, and I believe Playground has a fantastic vision for doing so.

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Fable 4 setting and gameplay  

Apparently, Fable 4 will take place on a continent different than the one that was destroyed by the asteroid impact. In addition, Theresa and the Heroes’ Guild will have to find refuge on another planet, which is accessible via a Demon Door—think of it as a doorway to another universe.

Fable 4 appears to be returning to the mediaeval world of the previous game, but with more swords and sorcery instead of the muskets and pistols of Fable 2. Co-op exploration is also expected, although no details have been given on how it would be done.

The idea that Fable 4 would be an open-world game with a far wider open world than past Fable games is really intriguing. According to reports, players can forego the primary objective to become a hero in favour of establishing villages instead.

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The mission, however, is said to include time travel and the reappearance of the first game’s nemesis, Jack of Blades if it is pursued. A Fable game means that the player will be able to design their character in great detail, and they’ll have a wide range of moral decisions to make. Given that Unreal engine is expected to be used (perhaps the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 that has been demonstrated on PS5), the visuals should be excellent.

Fable 4 is what we’re hoping for.

The Fable games have always been about providing you with a rather confined open world crammed with activities rather than locations to explore and stories to find. While we don’t want to lose any of the fun and ridiculousness Fable games provided us with, such as buying out entire villages or marrying numerous people and watching as they had disputes in the street over you, we’d want to see a bit more depth in Fable 4.

If we could, we’d prefer a broader open environment in which our character may explore further into areas where they might be less prepared to deal with the dangers they encounter. It’d also be nice if there were some more in-depth side missions that resulted in repercussions that had a lasting effect on the universe.

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Due to the nature of Fable, we do not expect it to have the same degree of depth as The Witcher 3. But the plot and sidequests might use a little more fleshing out.

I’d like to have the ability to change the world like Peter Molyneux promised in the first Fable, such as cutting down a tree and seeing it grow back when you return years later. The Xbox Series X(opens in new tab) and Windows 10 PCs should be able to make this a reality without any problems at all.

Another way to improve the combat in Fable is by adding more physical and strategic elements rather than just banging buttons and cycling through adversaries until one falls to the ground. In Breath of the Wild, Zelda demonstrated that combat depth could be introduced without making the game excessively difficult or like Dark Souls.

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Our final wish is that the dog returns. It was a vital feature of Fable 2, but its importance lessened in Fable 3.

This means Fable 4 might offer the dog more to do, like Metal Gear Solid V’s D-Dog, by enabling you to unleash it on your opponents in the style of D-Dog (opens in new tab).

A brief tale of Fable

After the success of Fable 2 on the Xbox 360 in 2008, Fable 3 was the final real Fable game published in 2010. In terms of critical praise, the third Fable game didn’t quite measure up to its predecessor or the first Fable.

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A shift in direction at Fable’s studio, although being owned by Microsoft, was brought on by the departure of famed game creator Peter Molyneux and other key developers from Lionhead Studios. Fable was left in a condition of semi-limbo as a result of this.

Fable: The Journey, a Kinect-centric exploration and spell-slinging game, and Fable Fortune, a free-to-play digital card game, were both spin-offs. Fable Heroes, the Xbox 360 beat ’em up, and Fable: The Journey were all cancelled in March 2020. The Fable series appears to have been doomed by the lack of critical praise for these games.

Fable Legends’ teaser trailer sparked excitement back in 2013. It showcased a five-player Xbox One game with four heroes and one dungeon master evil. But the demise of Lionhead meant the cancellation of Fable Legends.

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That leads us to E3, when Xbox head Phil Spencer hinted at a possible Fable 4 in development. Although Spencer didn’t give us much to go on, the Xbox 20/20 games presentation revealed that Playground Games is developing Fable 4.

Were there additional Fable games in the works? We don’t know for sure yet, but it’s good to know that the Fable series will not be lost to video game obscurity.

Fable 4 is actually happening

As a result of the aforementioned, we had feared that Fable 4 would never come to fruition, but it did. At the very least, not in the near future. We previously stated that Microsoft was not through with the Fable series, but we wouldn’t bet any money on it… perhaps we should have.

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Because Fable 3 was released before the likes of Skyrim, The Witcher 3 and Breath of the Wild set the standard for open-world fantasy games, these early impressions were formed. A new Fable game may seem dated in the face of such titles.

In theory, Playground Games may change the formula, but there is a danger it won’t feel like a Fable game. For some enthusiasts, more of the same is fine. In order for Fable 4 to be interesting, it will have to walk a fine line between being true to the franchise while also offering something fresh and unique that will entice players away from yet another new console version of Skyrim.

Now that we know Fable 4 is genuine, we’re confident that the Xbox Series X will have a secret weapon in the form of Fable 4. There is yet time to find out, perhaps another year or two.

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