Over seven years ago, Lionhead Studios’ Fable III was released. Some loved it, some hated it, but most agreed it wasn’t as good as the previous two games. Still, it was assumed at the time that work would then begin on Fable IV, which would hopefully get back to focusing on what fans of the series loved so much about earlier games.
Then came some unexpected curve balls. First, it was revealed that the next game would actually be a free-to-play co-op game titled Fable Legends, and that Fable IV wasn’t being worked on at all. Then, just before it was supposed to be released, Legendswas abruptly canceled and Lionhead shut down by Microsoft. And though Xbox head Phil Spencer didn’t rule out the possibility of a new game in the future, fans moved on with little hope.
Now, nearly two years after Legends was killed off (believe it or not), whispers of a possible Fable IV existing have started to make the rounds. Nothing below is confirmation that a new game is happening, but if you dream of the day a new entry in the series will arrive, it certainly is intriguing.
A few years back we were surprised to find out that a prequel to developer Lionhead Studios’ Fable franchise was in the works titled Fable Legends, and that it would be a co-op game instead of the single-player RPG faithful fans of the series originally fell in love with. To make matters worse, it was made clear that the Fable IV everyone wanted and had been waiting for, at that time, for three years wasn’t being worked on at all. Said fans were confused, but many tried to remain open-minded.
Then came another surprise. A little over a year ago, when Fable Legends seemed close to a release and was even being played in a closed beta, the game was canceled and Lionhead closed.
It’s now been nearly seven years since Fable III was released, and while the current state of the Fable franchise is quite depressing, it seemed unlikely such a popular franchise it would stay dead forever. Unfortunately I can’t report today that the series is being revived, but a comment from the head of Xbox recently did not rule out the possibility.
The biggest news out of Gamescom 2014 has no doubt been the shocking announcement that Rise of the Tomb Raider, the sequel to the hugely popular 2013 Tomb Raider reboot from developer Crystal Dynamics, would be an Xbox One exclusive release. This was totally unexpected, and Sony fans excited for the game even started petitions to change the arrangement, that’s how angered the masses were.
But never fear, word has now come from Xbox head Phil Spencer that the game will not be an Xbox exclusive after all…though there’s still some question as to what exactly that means, and how long you’ll have to wait to see it on another platform. Continue below to see what he had to say.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press