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Take a peek at Xbox's Fable reboot in action
Richard Ayoade stars in a new trailer for Playground's 'Fable' reboot.
Watch today’s Xbox Games Showcase in 11 minutes
During its Xbox Games Showcase, we got a long-awaited preview of gameplay from Halo Infinite, Forza Motorsport and much, much more.
A new 'Fable' game is coming to Xbox Series X and PC
Microsoft's Xbox Games Showcase had its ups and downs, but it ended with one hell of a tease: A minute-long clip of a fairy flitting around a lush kingdom and being eaten by a frog confirmed a new Fable game is coming to the Xbox Series X and Windows 10 PCs. Sadly, that's all the new information Microsoft and developer Playground Games -- best known for their work on the Forza Horizon series -- had to offer today.
Fable's 'Wolves in the Walls' VR is about more than virtual reality
After rebranding itself as a "virtual beings" studio in January, Fable is ready to show us what they mean. At the Tribeca Film Festival this week, it debuted the second chapter of The Wolves in the Wall, a VR experience adapted from the Neil Gaiman story. But the real star of the show aren't the imaginative virtual set-pieces you encounter -- instead, it's Lucy, a young girl who's convinced there's something weird going on in her house. She can remember your interactions to personalize your play sessions, and she can react to what you're doing in a scene.
Fable moves away from VR and towards AI-powered 'virtual beings'
Edward Saatchi is the rare VR studio head who doesn't have much faith in the future of virtual reality movies. That's what we learned from our conversation with him last year -- now, he's ready to commit to that idea. At Sundance today, Saatchi announced that he's shifting his company Fable away from virtual reality experiences. (It's also dropping the "Studios" part of its name.) Instead, they're going to focus primarily on artificial intelligence and "virtual beings," or characters you can interact with naturally across any sort of medium.
A new 'Fable' game is reportedly in the works
A brand new Fable game is in the works, or so says a number of sources close to the rumored project. According to Eurogamer, UK developer Playground has been given the job of creating a new, big-budget revisit to the fantasy world of Albion, and while franchise owner Microsoft said in a statement that it does not comment on rumor or speculation, all signs seem to give the reports credibility. For a start, November 2017 saw Playground openly reveal its plans for its first ever non-racing game, described only as an open-world action RPG. Meanwhile, Xbox boss Shannon Loftis has made no secret of Microsoft's fondness for the franchise.
Lionhead alumni turn to Kickstarter to fund 'Fable' card game
Lionhead Studios may have been shuttered, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the beloved Fable franchise. Flaming Fowl Studios, a studio created from the ashes of Lionhead's closing in March, is looking to revive the series, albeit in a very different format.
Microsoft cancels 'Fable Legends' and closes Lionhead
Fable Legends has officially been canned and developer Lionhead Studios will be shut down, Microsoft announced in a blog post this morning. Fable Legends was poised to be a free, multiplayer-focused, fantasy-action game -- and a fairly dramatic departure from previous installments in the series. Microsoft announced Fable Legends in 2013 and it was supposed to launch in late 2015, though in December it was delayed into 2016. Lionhead is based in the United Kingdom and it's responsible for franchises such as Black & White and (of course) Fable. Famed game designer Peter Molyneux founded Lionhead in 1997 and led it for more than a decade, even once Microsoft acquired the studio in 2006. Molyneux left in 2012 after finishing Fable: The Journey.
'Fable Legends' will launch after spring 2016
Fable Legends -- Lionhead's free, multiplayer-focused fantasy romp for Xbox One and Windows 10 -- is scheduled to launch after spring 2016. It was originally on tap to release this holiday season. The game's open beta will go live in the spring, ostensibly with the full release close behind. For now, Fable Legends will remain in closed beta, with the studio inviting 100,000 additional players over the coming weeks (sign up for that here).
'Fable' going free-to-play on Xbox One and Windows 10
Now you can add "price" alongside "gameplay" to the list of aspects that separates Fable Legends from its forebears. That's because the game's launching as a free-to-play title on Windows 10 and gratis with an Xbox Live Gold subscription on Xbox One. What's it all entail? A lot of similar bits if you've paid attention to how free-to-play stuff typically works (microtransactions for cosmetic items, for example), but with a few unique wrinkles. The official FAQ stresses that you'll be able to play the game from beginning to end without spending any real cash, and that all quests and storylines will be free -- same goes for "everything that affects gameplay." There's a possibility that some customization options won't be purchasable with the in-game currency you earn, and with its rotating system for playable characters, you have the option to permanently unlock a favorite character with cold hard cash, too.
Fable Legends confirmed for Windows 10, cross-plays with Xbox One [Update]
Fable Legends is in development for Windows 10 PCs, Lionhead Studios confirmed during Microsoft's Windows 10 briefing today. The game was announced in August 2013 as an Xbox One exclusive. PC and Xbox One players will be able to partake in cross-platform cooperative multiplayer. Fable Legends' multiplayer beta launched in October. The developer did not offer a release date for the PC version of the game, though it is expected to arrive this year for Xbox One. Update: Check out the latest screens (below) and a trailer (above) of the game. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Fable Legends multiplayer beta set for October [UPDATE: Trailer added!]
The multiplayer beta for Fable Legends will be available on October 16, Microsoft announced during its Gamescom 2014 press conference in Cologne, Germany. Microsoft first announced the beta phase of the game at E3. Fable Legends has players completing quests in Albion, the land featured throughout the series. Unlike past games, up to four players can team up to tackle missions, or players can split off to play as a villain, influencing quests themselves to slow the progress of the heroic group. Microsoft revealed Fable Legends at last year's Gamescom event in August 2013 as an Xbox One-exclusive game. [Image: Microsoft]
Fable Legends multiplayer beta coming this fall
Fable Legends, the upcoming multiplayer-centric entry in the Fable series, will enter beta this holiday, Microsoft announced during their E3 2014 press conference. The game will feature multiple modes where players can take on the role of a Fable universe hero or, if you're feeling a bit more antagonistic, villain. As we learned at Gamescom 2013, Legends trades the franchise's hallmark character customization for pre-defined heroes that round out a heroic RPG adventuring party. [Image: Joystiq
Gears of War, Fable and Forza fair game for TV shows
Having announced its first lineup of Xbox Originals, a brand of exclusive television shows made for Xbox platforms, Microsoft is highlighting Gears of War, Fable and Forza Motorsport as potential sources slash victims of adaptation in the future. Speaking to press in San Francisco last week, Vice President of Xbox Entertainment Studios Jordan Levin named a few games that "most immediately come to mind" for a stint in television. Unlike the popular Halo series of first-person shooters, which is already confirmed for a television show and an upcoming feature, these projects are at a stage of "exploratory conversation" and may ultimately go nowhere. Games being explored so far include historical strategy game Age of Empires, zombie survival sim State of Decay, Forza Motorsport, the vibrant Fable series and bulky-men-vs-monsters shooter, Gears of War. If those exploratory conversations last long enough, there's a chance someone will see the potential in combining these intellectual properties into a filmed super-property. Who wouldn't watch a show about zombies overrunning the stone age, or a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta covered in chainsaws and driven by a man in a chicken suit? [Image: Microsoft]
Lionhead Studios embracing games-as-service model with Fable Legends
Fable Legends, the upcoming multiplayer-centric spin on the Fable universe, may end up being quite a different beast than its predecessors. Although new Lionhead CEO John Needham hasn't announced any business model for the game, he describes his job as one based around the "games-as-a-service" model: "I think the real magic in the industry now is taking great traditional gameplay and IP, and this new connected world, and mashing them together," Needham recently told Edge Magazine. "I am the person pivoting Lionhead into a games-as-service studio." Needham also said that Legends can act as a platform for additional Fable-related projects. "It's a long-range plan, of five to ten years, where we're going to build and keep building onto Fable Legends. That's the nature of games as a service – you keep adding systems and features and content." [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Fable Legends domains registered
Microsoft has registered web domains for Fable Legends in .com and .net flavors. The franchise has been on hiatus since horse butt sim Fable: The Journey in late 2012. A high-definition remake of the orginal Fable is expected later this year with Fable Anniversary, which will also feature SmartGlass integration. Lionhead job listings from earlier this year sought online multiplayer level designers, as well as pointing toward an Unreal Engine 4-powered game. There have also been hints of an MMO-like game for next gen consoles. Former Lionhead co-founder Peter Molyneux had also theorized on the concept massive multiplayer Fable experience ... but the things that man says can be used to make a lot of games.
The Daily Grind: Should characters age?
There are a lot of immersion-ruining elements of MMOs (probably too many to count, depending on how cynical you've become), but every once in a while I'm bothered by the fact that characters just don't age. Not only do we play in game worlds that are apparently after the child apocalypse, but everyone you meet is visually between the ages of 17 and 22. Maybe 23, if the player used the "age lines" that developers toss into the character creator on a whim. It makes me wonder if, to give us a true sense of living in these worlds, our characters should age. It was a big selling point of the first Fable game, although having never played it, I don't know how well it turned out. But I remember reading a preview of the first game and actually digging the idea that my character would mature and grow old, with all of the benefits and drawbacks that entails. Should characters age in MMOs? If so, how could it best be done so that it wouldn't ruin everyone's day? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Lionhead teases Fable HD remake [update: Fable Anniversary announced]
Update: Xbox's Major Nelson announced Fable Anniversary, coming "holiday this year" for Xbox 360. As expected, it's a HD remake of the first Fable and its Lost Chapters expansion. Speaking to the Major in a podcast, Lionhead's Ted Timmins noted improvements to the user interface, loading times, controls, and save system in the remake, as well as a visual update up to "360-quality level." Fable Anniversary also features SmartGlass integration, as well as leaderboards for an array of things, one of which is chicken-kicking. As teasers go, this one's as blunt as a war hammer. Going by it, Lionhead Studios is set to unveil an Xbox 360 HD remake of the first Fable and its The Lost Chapters expansion. The vid shows various tweets directed at Lionhead requesting the remake. One asks for "better graphics and sound quality," while another makes mention of "Fable Anniversary." The original Fable launched on the Xbox in September 2004. %Gallery-190298%
Lionhead launches new Fable forums with suspicious timing [update]
Lionhead Studios has launched a brand new set of Fable-related forums, now available on the developer's website for users to discuss and dissect the popular series of role-playing games. Lionhead's also giving away virtual founders' medals to anyone who signs up in the forums' first two weeks of existence, and you can log right in using your Xbox Live ID. The last game in the series, Fable: The Journey, arrived back in October of 2012, which raises the question of why the Microsoft-owned developer would announce brand new forums for an IP that's all but fallen off of the radar. Don't forget, though, that E3 is next week, and Microsoft has $1 billion worth of games coming to the Xbox One. The fates may dictate a return to Albion very soon. Update: That didn't take long. Lionhead is teasing a Fable HD remake.
Lionhead job openings point to Unreal Engine 4 powering next game
Fable series developer Lionhead Studios is currently seeking a gameplay programmer and an automation engineer for an upcoming unannounced project, emphasizing that knowledge of Epic's Unreal Engine 3 or 4 is required for consideration. The company additionally seeks a core technology programmer and an animation director. Lionhead notes that the animation director position requires a "background working on new franchises or reimaginings of existing franchises." Previous Lionhead job listings sought online multiplayer level designers, hinting that the developer was working on "an MMO-like title for next generation consoles." Ex-Cryptic CEO John Needham was recently named Lionhead's Studio Head following the departure of co-founder Peter Molyneux.
