Microsoft’s premiere RPG franchise is Fable , with the first three Fable games all launching to various degrees of success. But despite their popularity, Microsoft has squandered the IP in recent years, releasing misguided spin-offs instead of proper sequels. However, rumors indicate that the Fable franchise will soon be coming back in a big way on Xbox Series X. According to various reports, Fable 4 is in active development at Playground Games , with the game set to be a major return to form for the series. There’s a chance that Fable 4 could even be revealed as early as next month’s Xbox 20/20 July presentation, so fans of the franchise should be sure to tune in just in c
To be fair, Bethesda did say that Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI wouldn’t be appearing at the show, but many fans were holding out hope that Todd Howard would surprise gamers with a new trailer or some gameplay from either title. Starfield was the more likely candidate, as it’s expected a lot sooner than the next Elder Scrolls, but Bethesda stayed true to their word, and what Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI will wind up looking like remains just as much of a mystery as it was last y
An ambitious, inventive genre that traces its origins to the early days of text-based adventures like Zork and Microsoft Adventure , open-world gaming has become one of the most prevalent genres in all of gaming. Covering all sorts of genres and niches and giving birth to some of the most important games of this generation, open-world gaming usually allows for dozens—if not hundreds—of hours of playt
Molyneux has become well known at this point for his big and revolutionary ideas, which often end up being beyond the scope of the reality of the games he develops. When the original Fable launched on the original Xbox in 2004, it did not quite have that grand Japanese Folklore journey that had been promised (although it was close). But, now 16 years later, perhaps technology and design have progressed enough to allow some of those promises and dreams for Fable to finally become a real
Playable on: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Released on the same day as the hugely underwhelming Assassin’s Creedy Unity , Rogue plays like a followup to 2013’s Black Flag and feels like an addendum to 2012’s Assassin’s Creed 3 . Though head and shoulders above some of the less inspired entries in the series, Rogue’s world still felt a bit too empty and bland, and it’s one of the shortest mainline AC experiences by
As Xbox rose to dominance in the Xbox 360 console generation, the console received so much third-party support that the number of first-party exclusives started a decline with Xbox having fewer of its own unique IP. By the time the current Xbox One generation came along, the lack of first-party support only seemed to increase. But in recent years, under the leadership of Phil Spencer, Xbox has acquired multiple studios to build out its exclusive game portfolio. This should start paying off in the next Series X generat
Next, rolling back the timeframe of a next-gen Fable lets it sit nicely in that medieval fantasy genre like Breath of the Wild . The first Fable was a fantasy jaunt with swords, bows and arrows, magic, medieval towns, and more standard medieval fare. Fable 2 and 3 progressed things forward and introduced industrial elements into its world as well as guns. There are rumors that this next-gen Fable would roll things back to that standard fantasy world, including removing guns from the ga
When the original Fable was in development, the game’s director Peter Molyneux talked about his plans for the game, which at the time was codenamed Project Ego. The main idea was that players would pick up the controller on a 15-year-old whose parents were killed, and in a journey of revenge, players would guide their avatar through an RPG experience shaping their avatar from a teenager to an adult with total freedom of their path. Their avatar would grow up along with the world—there was a famous example that players could plant an acorn as a child and then see it grow into a tree by adulthood—and eventually have to save the entire world on their journey. It was a lifelong pursuit, with players raising up a character from childhood all the way to old
There were rumors that original Fable developer Lionhead Studios was planning to make a Fable 4 that was going to be “R-Rated,” but with Lionhead shuttering and a next-gen Fable assumed to be under development under a completely new developer, none of those previous plans should be assumed about the game that could now be in development. If the next-gen Fable kept its silly, slightly irreverent tone while still making the game lighthearted enough to skew interest from younger players, Xbox could potentially have something in its lineup that appeals to both older fans of the original series and new, young players who enjoy experiences like Breath of the Wi