The development of Fable 4 for Xbox Series X was a staggeringly exciting announcement at Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase in July – alongside news of fantasy RPG Avowed – but there are still very few details to go on for the upcoming fantasy title.
VGC has pulled back the curtain on the design team for the Fable reboot, however, and it might hold a big clue for the format of the game.
There are a host of veteran game designers working on the Fable reboot, including the lead quest designer for the Borderlands series, a level designer for GTA V and GTA Online, and a whole load of writers who worked on Batman: Arkham Knight.
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There have been rumors since the game’s teaser that Fable 4 will in fact be an MMO, rather than the single-player RPG experience utilized for the first three games. The fact that the game appears to be called ‘Fable’, rather than ‘Fable 4’, does suggest a reboot or rethinking of the series formula rather than a direct sequel too.
The picture emerging here is somewhat different, though. While we could be looking at an MMO still – especially given chief designer Will Kennedy worked on GTA Online – the other games experience being drawn on here (Borderlands, Batman) suggests more of an open-world format.
A whole new world
The Borderlands games are an excellent example of massive open worlds with free-to-roam areas and countless optional quests, while Arkham Knight gave you an open-world city to explore. Developer Playground, too, released the open-world racing game Forza Horizon 4 in 2018, so the stars certainly seem to be aligning for a single-player RPG experience set in a massive fantasy landscape.
The talent listed here would feel oddly placed for an MMO game, so we expect Fable 4 will still stay somewhat true to its roots.
An online component could still add a lot to the game, though, whether that’s a GTA Online-style fantasy world to cause havoc in, or a form of online co-op for completing quests – as with the Borderlands game, which is a lot more fun when you have a friend dropping in to run and gun with you, but doesn’t require co-op to navigate its world.
Didn't catch the trailer? Check it out below.
