Although the creative studio that had brought it to life is gone,Fableis looking to come back in a big way. Now handed off to Playground Games, a new game looks to reboot the series and bring it to modern audiences, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. The game was originally meant to come out this year, but was delayed to 2026, which actually seems like a good thing in retrospect.
2025 has been a strong year for gaming, and outsideGTA 6’s release, 2026 seems to be a bit lighter. It seems to be the ideal environment forFableto shine, butthere are rumors swirling thatFablewill get delayed to 2027. While this is obviously frustrating, it also means that the newFablewill have to face some stiff competition in its own genre.
Fable May Be Delayed To 2027
And Is Suffering The Same Fate As Silksong
According to Xbox insider, who goes byShpeshal_Nickon X, on theXbox Era Podcaston YouTube,Fablecould be looking at a 2027 delay, stretching its development to another year. This puts it in a similar situation toHollow Knight: Silksong, which was slammed by delay after delay.Silksonghad a 2023 release window, and is now looking to release later this year, and a two-year delay could beFable’s fate too.
The lastFabletitle wasFable: The Journey, made for the Xbox Kinect.
The 2026 delay wasn’t due to problems in development, butto give Playground Games enough time to work on the project. It is heartening to hear that not all executives are forcing projects to rush, but there are a few problems with continuous delays. It increases the cost of development, and the game will need to perform even better to compensate for it, which will be tough sinceFablehas a few things going against it.
Fablehas always been somewhere between cult classic and mainstream success, and isn’t a massive nor relevant name compared to many of its peers, likeThe WitcherandTheElder Scrolls. This might make it tough to earn back a potentially massive budget. Withits latest trailer and genuinely breathtaking visuals,Fableis definitely a high-budget production.
Playground Games isn’t experienced at making RPGs either, and making a game to uphold lofty ambitions and expectations is a tough ask for a studio that hasn’t made that type of game before. This is probably the reason for the delays, since Playground Games has to learn on the fly. What makes it even tougheris the potential 2027 competitionFablemay have to face.
Fable Maybe Have To Compete With The Witcher 4 & ES6
Provided They Aren’t Delayed Too
Currently,bothThe Witcher 4andThe Elder Scrolls 6are looking at late 2027 and early 2028 release windows. If both come out in 2027,Fablewill need to compete with two of the largest fantasy RPGs ever made, in terms of hype, and could be lost in this hype. While still a strong name,Fabledoesn’t hold a candle toThe WitcherorThe Elder Scrolls.
The Witcher 4is being developed in Unreal Engine 5, with CD Projekt Red turning away from its proprietary REDengine.
It could stand out in terms of quality, but ifThe Witcher 4’s latest gameplay revealis anything to go by, this might be a tall order.CD Projekt Red has managed to win its way back into the hearts of many fansand no matter what happens withThe Elder Scrolls 6’s launch, as long as the modding community latches onto it, it will be fine.Fablehas also already been met with some polarizing opinions.
As it feels like with every game,Fablehas been the victim of the’woke and anti-woke’war, sort of on the opposite end ofStellar Blade, but there are some valid criticisms thus far. For one,the game doesn’t look or feel much likeFable. It is still distinctly British, given that Lionhead Studio, the original studio, was British, as is Playground Games, but the visuals aren’t stylized and the gameplay, while cool-looking, doesn’t seem veryFable.
With Playground Games' prior work onForza, realistic visuals make sense, but if the game doesn’t seem likeFable, it could lose its original fan base.It could also struggle to win new fans fromThe Witcher 4andThe Elder Scrolls 6, thus struggling to make back its budget. Considering howharsh Xbox has been with laying off staff, it does make me worried that Playground Games, one of Britain’s biggest game studios, has been set up to fail.
Playground Might Be Biting Off More Than It Can Chew
And Xbox Hasn’t Been Giving Much Leeway
I still believe that Playground Games, despite the problems put before it, will eventually make a great game. The problem is, this game might not feel very much likeFableand could be released at a time when there are more appealing options in the market. Sure,Game Pass will mean a lot of people will checkFableout, butES6will also be on Game Pass, meaning the two titles will compete on the same platform.
Xbox has been notoriously harsh with cutting studios. Despite making award winner after award winner,Tango Gameworks got axed, although it was later saved by Krafton.Recent Microsoft cutbacks have been stoking fearsof many a studio’s survival, and Playground Games will have a lot riding on its success withFable. The studio won’t want to relive the unfortunate fate of Lionhead before it.
Still, Playground Games could pull off a masterpiece despite it being its first RPG. PerhapsThe Witcher 4andThe Elder Scrolls 6will release in 2028, thus making 2027 the year forFableto shine. The problem will be getting fans to care again after such a long wait considering all the unknowns of a new studio, but it is about time forFableto make a comeback and brighten the somewhat dark fantasy genre.
