Microsoft finally reveals Fable for Xbox, PC, and PS5 in full — How Fable represents a new dawn for Xbox Games Studios

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Fable has finally been revealed in full, and it looks absolutely fantastic.

Fable is a beloved series of action role-playing games that helped establish the Xbox brand. These games were particularly famous for how much the world responded to player choices.

As a big fan of open-world games, I’ve always been impressed with Playground Games – they really know how to make a beautiful and engaging world. It’s exciting to see they’re tackling Fable! Knowing their history, it’s no surprise they’re building another massive open world. What’s really cool is they’re promising a completely seamless experience where you can go anywhere right from the start. That’s a huge deal and something I’m really looking forward to.

You can personalize your character’s appearance with various options for bodies, faces, hair, skin, and tattoos. The game also offers a lot of freedom in how you play – you can focus on powerful melee combat using large weapons, with special moves to stun and finish off enemies. Alternatively, you can use ranged weapons like bows and crossbows, and even combine them with magical attacks and spells.

In a recent post on Xbox Wire, Playground Games explained that their new game is essentially a fresh start. They’ve decided not to be constrained by the story or characters of the original Fable games, giving them the creative freedom to build their own version of Albion and tell a completely new story. The developers intentionally avoided trying to recreate the work of the original creators, Lionhead Studios, recognizing that they needed to forge their own path.

Fable returns to features found in earlier games, letting you craft items, build relationships with villagers—even marry and have children. You can purchase property (and even all the properties!), get divorced, and manage a world full of characters with their own lives and schedules. These characters—described as a ‘living population’—will work, pursue hobbies, and sleep. You can even employ them in your businesses or rent them homes, though you could also choose to evict them. Importantly, your actions will shape how these characters see and react to you.

The game reacts to your actions and shapes how people see you. Buy lots of property and you might gain a reputation for being arrogant. Treat animals poorly, and people will consider you cruel, but help others and they’ll like you. As Playground explains, your choices have consequences. Even major events, like defeating a giant, have lasting effects on the game world – the giant’s body will remain as a permanent fixture, and people in nearby towns will react differently based on what you’ve done.

Playground Games has announced that the new Fable game is scheduled to release in Fall 2026. It will be available immediately on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC, and will also be included with Xbox Game Pass from day one. Players will also be able to enjoy the game across Xbox devices, like the Xbox Ally, thanks to Xbox Play Anywhere.

Is this a new quality bar for Xbox?

Early looks at Fable are very promising, and it’s a clear improvement in quality for a game developed by an Xbox internal studio. Traditionally, Microsoft has focused on mid-range, story-based games with smaller teams and budgets. Their larger, more visually impressive titles have usually been simulations like Microsoft Flight Simulator or Forza Horizon 6. Fable demonstrates that Microsoft is now investing significantly in its own franchises, aiming for the higher production values we expect from top-tier AAA games.

From what I’ve gathered, we can anticipate a similar increase in quality for upcoming games like Gears: E-Day and the next major Halo installment, following the successful remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved. By releasing games on PlayStation as well as Xbox and PC, Microsoft can aim for larger, more ambitious projects and take on more development risk than they could before. I’m also hearing a significant shift in their announcement strategy. It sounds like the days of announcing games years before they’re finished are over. They’ve learned from past disappointments with titles like Contraband and Perfect Dark, and will now wait to reveal projects until they’re much closer to completion.

Success depends on strong execution, and Microsoft hasn’t always delivered consistently. However, Fable seems poised to be the first of what we hope will be many projects that change that pattern.

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2026-01-22 22:40