Xbox's Phil Spencer Gives Update On Fable 4

Fable fanatics are in for a treat, as Xbox boss Phil Spencer has given us a much-needed update about where things are up to with the next-gen reboot. Back in the day, Microsoft came under fire for its lack of exclusives, alongside criticisms it relies on the trio of Halo, Forza, and Fable.

Although new exclusives are set to join the crowd thanks to Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media and upcoming releases like Starfield and Redfall, that doesn't mean the Xbox is about to abandon its stalwart trio. While we've had regular updates on Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, we're still in the dark about what's on the way from the tentatively titled Fable 4/franchise reboot.

What's the Fable 4 update from Xbox?

In an interview with the Dropped Frames podcast (via VGC), Spencer asked us to wait patiently and "just take confidence” in Playground Games. Playground has been working away on Forza Horizon 5, which Spencer says should give an indication about what's on the way with Fable 4.

The Xbox boss explained, "The only thing I can really say about Fable is, seeing the pedigree of the team and Playground, and where they set the bar for themselves in building a game—I think that showed with the Forza Horizon 5 preview that they had—I think people should just take confidence in that [studio director] Gavin [Raeburn] and the team there have that same level of focus on doing something amazing with an IP that we know is really important to a lot of Xbox fans, so we can’t wait to get to show more, but the team is just amazing".

Even though Forza Horizon 5 was a star of the impressive Microsoft showcase at this year's E3, there wasn't so much as a flutter of fairy wings for Fable 4. Despite being announced in July 2020, things have been quiet on the Fable 4 front. Then again, everyone has been busy with Forza Horizon 5's November release date racing into view.

What else do we know about Fable 4?

According to VGC, the Fable 4  team will include veterans from Rocksteady, Ninja Theory, Gearbox Software, and BioWare. If that wasn't enough, Batman: Arkham Knight's lead scriptwriter (Martin Lancaster) is also on board for Fable 4. Grand Theft Auto V's Will Kennedy is Chief Designer, and Borderlands' Hunter Wright is Lead Quest Designer. Basically, Playground has assembled its own Avengers of the video game world. 

The Playground team has massively expanded, with some 200 staff reportedly working on Fable 4 from the developer's Leamington Spa studio. Finally, we know Fable 4 will use the same engine as Forza Horizon 5. Given the way the next-gen racing game looks, that's only going to be a good thing. Aside from reports Fable 4 could be an MMO set in the Fable universe, Microsoft is keeping its cards close to its chest.

In terms of when Fable 4 will release, your guess is as good as ours. Forza Motorsports's Team 10 is assisting Playground to help hurry things along, but that still doesn't bring us any closer to a Fable 4 release date. In all reality, we can probably look ahead to E3 2022 for a real look of what's on the way. Even though that might sound like an age away, Spencer and co. promise it will be worth the wait.