One of the big upcoming games Microsoft and Xbox showed off during last month's Xbox Developer Direct Showcase was Fable, a reboot of the fan-favorite RPG series that was a staple of the console's library in the OG Xbox and Xbox 360 days. Fable was very popular back then, though its popularity waned after Fable 3 underperformed, Fable Legends was canceled, and Microsoft ultimately shut developer Lionhead Studios down in 2016.
A decade later, though, Fable is back, with its reboot in development at Xbox Game Studios' Playground Games (which is also making Forza Horizon 6) and scheduled to release in Fall 2026 across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, and Xbox Game Pass. And when Xbox gave fans an extensive overview of its gameplay mechanics and RPG systems, the series' original creator, Peter Molyneux, was brought to tears by the showcase.
"When I was watching the Fable trailer, I just felt myself tearing up," Molyneux told IGN in a new interview. "I know that I could probably be slaughtered for saying that, but I am someone who cries frequently, and I felt incredibly emotional, and the reason I felt emotional was: F*** me. This thing that we created, it's going to live, it’s going to carry on. This world, which we loved creating so much, and other people loved, has a life."
"And for me, the saddest thing would be to see it diminish, which is one of the reasons I'm really going back to God games. So that was the overall emotion," he continued. "I thought it was really smart of them to retell Fable 1 rather than have the burden of continuing the Fable story. I loved seeing some of those references. I thought it was super smart to have the kid’s family turn to stone. I thought that was really smart. And so those were all the plus points."
Overall, Molyneux seems to very much enjoy the direction Playground Games is taking Fable in. The original games were defined by the deep reactivity of their fantasy worlds, slice-of-life gameplay elements to enjoy on the side, and unapologetically British comedy — all things the studio has committed to carrying into the reboot and elevating.
Ultimately, his only criticism of what's been shown so far is that he feels the game is a bit too "clean," with "all the angles being sharp and defined." He hopes to see more "dirtiness" in the world as we approach Fable's upcoming 2026 launch.
"I mean, if I was critical, which I think you want me to be, there was a slight antiseptic feel about it. But I mean, they've got months and months to build in that character and almost that dirtiness that you want in the world," he explained.
"I never thought Fable as being clean and all the angles being sharp and defined. It's more chaotic. It's more what Old England probably used to be, which was not straight lines, the place, it's more crinkling, and all the buckle belts on people are ridiculously large, and the boots and the hands ridiculously large because that is part of the character," he added. "So there’s a little bit more of that character, which I would probably foolishly and ridiculously ask for."
Even though he'd prefer to see Fable be a bit more down-to-earth and rough around the edges, though, Molyneux is still absolutely going to check out the reboot once it arrives.
"Absolutely. For sure," he said when asked if he's going to play. "Not as someone looking for the flaws and faults, but as someone who truly loves and adores that universe." And love and adore it he does; his new Masters of Albion God game coming in April is set in the world of Fable, with Molyneux taking advantage of the fact that "Albion can't be copyrighted."
How did you feel about what Xbox and Playground Games showed of Fable at the Xbox Developer Direct Showcase? Will you be checking the RPG reboot out when it launches this year, or does it not really interest you? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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