A Series of Hopes and Promises
In 2004, the anticipation for the release of the first Fable from Lionhead Studios was at its highest. Originally for the Xbox, Windows and Mac, nearly 150 developers worked on the Microsoft published game. While it’s chief creator, Peter Molyneux, had promised players a bevy of features that the game would hold, Fable often fell short on his words. That being said, the game was well received by both players and critics, received more than fifty awards and by 2007 had sold over 2 million units. Since that time, both Fable 2 and Fable 3 were released, each one once again being significantly hyped up by Molyneux only to seemingly miss its mark on multiple fronts. Both games however still did well with their unique visuals, engaging stories and witty English humor that helped make the IP truly unique.
With the Molyneux departing Lionhead in 2012 and the studio subsequently being shut down by Microsoft in 2016, the future of Fable and the world of Albion now sits in limbo. With the IP being used in a few different spin-off games that include Fable: The Journey for the Kinect and the now canceled Fable Legends, some fans believe it’s time for a proper Fable 4 and to return the world that they first fell in love with all those years ago.
A look at the some of the interesting and diverse characters in the now canceled Fable: Legends.
Why It’s A Good Time To Be A Hero Again
Even with the Fable series often failing to deliver on promises that its developers spoke of, the IP is filled with rich characters, engaging gameplay and a world filled with memorable locations and adventures. With the 2014 release of Fable: Anniversary, gamers got a taste of what a current version of Fable 4 might actually look like as well as remembering the first steps they took as a hero. With minor improvements to the original game plus the updated interface, mod support for the PC version and gorgeous graphics, players saw just how beautiful Albion could be with a proper return.
Along with the updates version of the first game, Fable Legends also shed light on exactly what Lionhead currently had planned for the IP and shed another glimpse as to what a completely new RPG may look like. Designed as a new corporative-multiplayer game based on the world and characters of Albion, Legends had been in development since 2012. With each character hosting different weapons and abilities, this was the biggest steps towards a new type of game for Fable as well as distancing itself from the original series. While the game ended up getting the axe in 2016 following Lionhead Studios own cancelation, many features the game shared gave fans of the IP hope for what a Fable 4 could be. With Microsoft currently looking to regain some of its momentum with fresh new games, plus the mythology of the world of Albion and the characters involved because of the now cancelled Legends, it has never been a better time to revisit Fable and create something truly extraordinary.
An image taken from Fable Legends showing its stunning visuals and exactly how beautiful a new adventure could be in the world of Albion that was first experienced in 2004.
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