More bad news has emerged regarding the development of Fable. As first reported by Windows Central, Xbox are enforcing a policy of only using internal tools and engines. Those poor devs.
Fable 1 was a very enjoyable and charming RPG, and it accrued something of a cult following. But while Fable 2 continued to impress, Fable 3 was an absolute disaster. Since the release of Fable 3 the franchise's reputation has continued to decline, and many have assumed we might never see a new Fable game again.
However, the series does still have one opportunity. A reboot has been in the works for some time, and based on the very short teaser trailer it seems to be trading on past glories, and returning us to the Albion of the original game. Great news, right? Well, sadly, development of the reboot is facing some serious difficulties...
Fable: Development Impeded By Microsoft's Own Restrictions
According to a recent report by Windows Central, devs working on the new Fable game have been forced by Microsoft to rely on internal tools and engines, rather than using 3rd-party software. Obviously, the easiest way to develop anything is by using the best tools available, so it makes perfect sense that forcing the devs to rely on a single set of tools will cause problems.
As Jez Corden describes:
I've been told internal politics over engine use has also led to developmental problems in games like Fable and Halo Infinite, as Microsoft sought to use its own tools rather than fully-featured industry standards like Unreal Engine, which further exacerbates problems around training contractors, only to lose them mid-project.
Last time we heard about development problems with this game we thought it was getting cancelled, but the devs were able to reassure us. Let's hope they can do the same again.
If you're still curious about the new Fable, and you want to become a bit more familiar with the series and the setting, we would recommend you go back and play the original. But don't get the base game of Fable 1, get Fable: The Lost Chapters instead, which is the first game plus all DLC (basically). You can buy Fable TLC here .
The Arena from Fable 1 wouldn't look out of place on a list like this...