Announced last year to a rousing reaction from long-time fans of the series,Fablelooks tobring Lion Head’s iconic RPG fantasy franchise back from the deadfor Xbox Series X audiences, this time with Playground Games taking the reigns. TheForza Horizondeveloper already has a list of incredible names pitching in to make a strong reboot of the series, however, it seems it isn’t done pulling in industry veterans to ensure it offers the best experience possible.
The latest ofPlayground’s acquisitionsis Steve Thornton, who will be acting as Associate Chief Designer for the upcoming Xbox exclusive. Speaking on his new role on the game, Thornton revealed: “I tweeted last year to sayI was returning from Russia to the UK for a new thing; very happy and excited to say that new thing is with the lovely Playground Games…working on the next Fable as Associate Chief Designer.”
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Thornton has had a long career in the video game industry spanning a number of significant projects, working alongside 343 Industries as game designer on the upcomingHalo Infinite,aiding Ubisoft in the development ofAssassin’s Creed Odyssey,and directing both theLEGO NinjagoandLEGOMarvel’s Avengers3DS ports. His lineup of titles makes him a prime candidate for a project likeFable,with his work seeing him develop an assortment of significant games for modern consoles. Playground Games seems to be assembling a strong team of industry veterans, which will hopefully ensure that this new entry in theFableuniverse will be the best to date.
As forFableitself, not much is known about the game outside of its short cinematic trailer. Fans know it will act as something of a reboot to the series, while it seems the game’s signature British humor and fairy tale fantasy setting will make a welcome return in this new entry. For those who never followed the series, the original games focused around players becoming a hero in the fictional world of Albion, with the trilogy allowing them to follow the path of good or evil through a series of moral choices.
The series eventually introduced new elements to its world as the games pressed on, withFable 2and3shifting the setting into the industrial era, introducing guns and a world dominated by large factories. Generally, fans have called for the series to go back to its roots followingFable 3,so hopefully, Playground Games can deliver a return to form in its long-awaited sequel.
Fableis in development for Xbox Series X and PC.
