Fantasy RPG fans everywhere would very much like to know what exactly Playground Games is planning to do with Fable 4. Playground is a very different studio from Fable's original home at the now-defunct Lionhead Studios, after all. Fable 4 will inevitably be a very different game from its predecessors simply by virtue of the very different team developing it. Playground is keeping its new features under wraps for now, leaving fans guessing, but its choice to stay silent might actually be very telling. Playground is taking a very different approach to Fable 4's role in the public eye, compared to the press that the first Fable game generated.
Those who've been playing Fable games for the entirety of the franchise's life might remember that Peter Molyneux, the creator of the Fable franchise, had a reputation for speaking about his upcoming games in enthusiastic, but sometimes unrealistic, ways. That didn't always reflect well on Fable, even though the games have been successful. Many years later, Playground Games seems to be taking the completely opposite route of Molyneux, setting minimal expectations and keeping the game largely under wraps. That's probably healthy for Fable 4 for the time being, but Fable 4 does have to see the light of day eventually.
Comparing Fable 1 and Fable 4's Publicity
Throughout much of his career, Molyneux has been known for describing games in development elaborately. The Fable games saw a lot of this. For instance, during interviews and other publicity events, Molyneux often talked about features that never made it into the first Fable game, like the ability to turn into a balverine, or have children with an NPC. While these promised features made for excellent publicity leading up to Fable's release, Lionhead Studios and Molyneux received criticism for failing to deliver on promised features, hampering the franchise's reputation.
Fable 4 certainly doesn't want to be weighed down by the loss of promised features, so it's good to see that Playground Games isn't making fantastical claims about the game while it's still in the thick of development. Instead, Playground has only offered modest hints about what Fable 4 is like, indicating that it's very lighthearted in tone and very "British," while avoiding concrete details about the game. While it's difficult for Fable fans to wait for information about the franchise's overdue revival, it's likely that Playground simply can't guarantee much about the game's final state at this point, meaning it's best for Fable 4 to keep its head down.
Fable 4's Future in the Limelight
If the quiet around Fable 4 does stem from Playground wanting to avoid promising too much, then that seems completely fine for now. When a game gets announced years before release like this one, it's better to focus on development rather than publicity. Still, one hopes that Playground doesn't play it safe forever. Fable is a heavyweight of an IP, and once the new game is in a presentable state, Playground should let Fable 4 strut its stuff as a way of celebrating the franchise's return. Modesty will serve Fable 4 well right now, but a healthy amount of pride will be invaluable to getting Playground's game off the ground.
The question of when that moment of celebration will arrive remains difficult to answer. Some signs suggest that Fable 4 has been in development for years, but considering how long it's been since Playground announced the game, Fable is probably still in early stages. A leaked release date for Fable has the game releasing in late 2023, but it's hard to say if that date is in any way accurate or was just some sort of placeholder date. Fans will only know for sure when Playground says something more. Considering the persistent silence, Playground isn't going to speak up soon, but maybe that's not a bad thing for now.
Fable 4 is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
