For a good few years, the future of the Fable franchise seemed dark, but after the official announcement in 2020 that Playground Games was developing Fable 4 things started to look a lighter brighter for fans. Although it's still not completely clear what kind of shape Fable 4 will take or what the next chapter in the beloved series will look like, players have still been speculating wildly. From where it will be set to how it will weave in the stories of the older Fable games, the next installment is still a hotly debated topic, but Playground Games may take inspiration from some unexpected places, including collaborator Eidos-Montreal.
At first, the developer didn't seem like the obvious choice for a fantasy RPG, as Playground Games had only produced titles in the Forza franchise. However, the upcoming title's publisher Xbox Game Studios has reassured fans that Fable 4 is in the right hands and that the developer has the necessary understanding of how to create an interactive narrative and pair this with creative systems and gameplay. Still, Playground Games is probably looking to similar IPs for inspiration, and Eidos-Montreal's 2014 game Thief could be the answer, given that Eidos-Montreal is working with Playground now.
Fable 4's Possible Thief Influences
On the surface, 2014's Thief and the Fable franchise as a whole don't seem to have much in common. The first is a moody stealth game with a gothic Victorian aesthetic, and the other is a cartoonish and comedic fantasy series that tends to revolve around a hero with plenty of renown instead of a hooded pickpocket who prefers the shadows. Although the IPs are very different in their sensibilities and presentations, there are still some similarities. Both take advantage of a fantasy setting and focus, and the Fable games have some surprisingly dark aspects and themes like Thief, despite its more colorful and cheery design.
In the later Fable games, the settings incorporated more steampunk elements and weaponry as industrialization took place across Albion, which also matched Thief's city setting. They both combined elements of magic within their various societies as well, and this often had a profound impact on the characters and the world they lived in. Players don't yet know when or where Fable 4 will be set, but with the teaser trailer and some information released so far, it seems like the next game will be embracing its fairytale inspirations, which leaves plenty of scope for some darker elements to creep in as well.
What Fans Know About Fable 4 So Far
Details remain scarce at the moment, so while some things have leaked or have been revealed by Playground Games, players don't yet have a clear picture of what Fable 4's setting will be. The announcement trailer didn't reveal much, but it did give a flavor of what fans might be able to expect from the return of the Fable franchise, including its irreverent humor, its focus on fairy tale aspects, and its retention of some of the things that shaped the original Fable game.
Although it's been pretty quiet since the game was announced, subsequent leaks have emerged that shed some interesting light on a few surprising elements. According to one, an asteroid has apparently completely destroyed the Albion that players knew and loved, and the kingdom has had to start from scratch. It seems like the next Fable is looking to reboot the series and present players with something fresh, while still keeping some of the features that made the original games so magical in the first place. Turning to different games like Thief could be one way to introduce some compelling darkness and danger to Fable's fairytale world, while not straying too far from the familiar.
Fable 4 is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.