Can you imagine it’s been more than 15 years since the last true Fable game came out? That’s a very long time for any kind of wait, but in video games, it feels like forever. Things have changed so much since 2010, from better technology to what players now expect. After the big news this week about Fable coming in 2026, folks at Eurogamer have been chatting with excitement about if this old series should still feel so much the same after 16 years. Yes, it’s back to The Big Question, where we look at a hot topic that’s got people talking in our make-believe office, then hand it over to you.
The much-waited restart of Fable is the first try by the Forza Horizon team at Playground Games in making an action role-playing game. And even though it’s called a fresh start for the popular series from the original makers Lionhead, it still focuses on Albion. That’s the fun fantasy land full of bold heroes, strange British ways of talking, and magic beings that would rather fight you than be friends. But this time, unlike the older games, Albion is a big open world with no breaks, all connected smoothly.
Besides that, everything else feels very much like before. It promises a blend of funny moments, fights, serious parts, tough choices between right and wrong, and yes, chickens too. The famous way the game reacts to what you do is returning, so your decisions as you go from good to bad will change the land and how people act toward you. But as nice as it all looks, and as comforting as it is to see most of Fable’s main idea of being the kind of hero you choose still there after all these years, our friend Bertie, who likes to stir things up, wishes there was a bit more change.
“I’m glad to see Fable come back, and one with maybe the best-looking thatched roofs ever, but I’m not as thrilled as I expected,” he says. “To me, Fable was always about wild ideas and big tries. Each game wasn’t just showing a storybook world with lots of British words like ‘oi!’ and ‘wanker!’, but it was about thinking again about role-playing games. It asked what else they could do. That’s what Fable meant to me. Some parts seem silly now, like that promise with the acorn that’s well-known, but it showed how Lionhead handled the series.”
“But this new Fable feels more like a tribute to the old ones than a step forward,” Bertie thinks. “It seems careful to me. It’s full of promises that the series is safe, that Playground gets what Fable is about. And they deserve praise: all the key parts of Fable were in the show, all the odd extras, and it looked really good. But seeing that show felt like going back in time to a game from long ago. Yes, it was Fable, but from 15 or 20 years back. How was it really moving role-playing games ahead in new ways?”
Victoria, on the other hand, believes sticking close to the old style is the best choice. “I played a bit of the first ones at a friend’s place,” she says, “and though I never finished any, I’m still eager for Playground Games’ new version. Using the good memories and giving what fans loved the first time, instead of trying something way different, is a wise plan. And don’t be mad at me for this, but I don’t think the Fable name pulls people in strong enough without that old feel.”
As for me, in my loose job as the unseen host, it’s not the parts that stay the same that I’ve been pondering, but all the rest. I’m just hoping we get a full Fable story that feels as cared for as its lively, responding heart.
Fable 1 had lots of spots that went nowhere, quests that ended too soon, half-done game parts, and even hints of a whole extra story with slaying a dragon that never came. That is, until Fable: The Lost Chapters fixed it years later with the missing pieces. And Fable 3, with its big talk of becoming king and having real power, ended in a disappointing way. It hurried the last part into quick playable notes before the end credits. Give me all the enjoyable, known bits of Fable from this week’s show, the choices and results, the life-like elements, the goofy laughs, but add a complete story with space to explore, and I’ll be happy. With almost ten years of work on this restart, my hopes are up. But what do I know? As those nice folks from Albion liked to say, I’m just someone chasing chickens.
That leaves Tom, who calls himself Eurogamer’s top Xbox supporter, and he’s very pleased with what he saw. “I don’t get what these folks are worried about, all nervous types!” he says, though he admits quietly that this Big Question was his idea. “I saw the Fable show and right away wanted to play it. I’m in a slow time with games now, not excited about my big list of unplayed ones, and something changed as I watched what Playground Games made. I know this new Fable won’t please everyone, but it’s now at the top of what I most want, which means a lot since I like Forza Horizon, and the next one looks great.”
So that’s our take on Fable for now, and now it’s your turn. From this week’s first real look at Playground Games’ long-awaited Fable restart, are you happy to see so much of the old series return, or like Bertie, did you want something bolder after more than 15 years? Or maybe this is your first Fable, with no old memories holding you back, and you’re just ready to try it. Let’s talk about it in the comments.
