Here's why Fable 4 wasn't at E3 2019, according to Phil Spencer

Fable 4 at E3 2019

I was really sad Fable 4 wasn't at E3 2019, and I definitely wasn't alone. When a Fable 4 leak appeared earlier this year - which apparently includes different planets, time travel, and an obliterated Albion - I reckon it's fair to say many of us assumed we'd be getting a long-awaited Fable 4 announcement at this year's E3, but we were wrong. Phil Spencer, executive vice president of Microsoft, has told Kotaku why the game wasn't at least officially hinted at this year, and it sounds like we're going to be waiting a while for any concrete information about the title. 

Spencer says that when it comes to revealing Fable 4 for real, he wants "to make sure that when we talk about things to come, whether it’s Fable or not, that the team feels very solid about what they are doing. I will harken back to … the Marvel MMO. Anybody remember us announcing a Marvel MMO? We didn’t even have a team that was signed that would do the Marvel MMO." Sounds like Microsoft learnt their lessons from that mistake, as Spencer goes on to talk about how his team decides when is the right time to officially confirm which games are on the horizon. 

"Running a studio organization and making sure we’re talking about games at the right time, when we know what we’re trying to build - I’m not making any comment specifically about Fable; it’s about anything in the portfolio ... that we have … some idea of when it would come out" is a priority, says Spencer. "The thing I love about our [E3 2019] show was 60 games and the first party games - I could tell you when those all were shipping, and I can play those games, most of them here, and can put my hands on them and make promises." Looks like we're not going to be getting any kind of tease about Fable 4 until Microsoft are certain they can give us a release date and show some gameplay off, and you know what? I'm ok with that. If waiting longer means we get a longer, better official look at the game then sign me up! 

If you're as impatient for Fable 4 to be officially announced as I am, here's a list of the best RPG games you can play in the meantime or look below to watch a video about the best open world games you can play right now!

Zoe Delahunty-Light

While here at GamesRadar, Zoe was a features writer and video presenter for us. She's since flown the coop and gone on to work at Eurogamer where she's a video producer, and also runs her own Twitch and YouTube channels. She specialises in huge open-world games, true crime, and lore deep-dives. 

Latest in RPG
Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot showing Astarion, a pale male elf with short curly white hair and red eyes, looking over his shoulder with a smirk on his face
Baldur's Gate 3 and Larian Studios lead Swen Vincke declares that single-player games are, in fact, not "dead" at all – "they just have to be good"
Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot showing companion Shadowheart, a young half-elf woman with long tied-back black hair
Baldur's Gate 3 animation impresses Larian Studios, prompting one dev to say "mature" animation of the RPG "would pop the f*** off"
Undertale
As the wait for more Deltarune continues, Undertale goes on sale for just $1 on Steam and reaches a new peak player count after 10 years
Concept art of the Arkavir, a bulky alien race from Exodus with sharp and scaley skin.
Mass Effect veteran's new sci-fi RPG Exodus introduces an alien race, and they're so hardcore they put the Krogans to shame
Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Zero Dawn star Ashly Burch responds to Sony's controversial AI Aloy by pushing for actor protections: "You have to compensate us fairly, and you have to tell us how you're using this AI"
The Elder Scrolls' Oblivion's most annoying fan holds a torch
Oblivion remake leaks suggest Skyrim's cooler sibling is making a comeback, but I'm worried a modern makeover could bulldoze over the weirdness that makes it great
Latest in News
a spherical robot on a pinball machine
A new Portal game with Glados' original voice actor is on its way, but the catch is that it's a pinball machine that costs $12,500
The Mandalorian
Bo-Katan's actor may have accidentally answered whether she is appearing in The Mandalorian and Grogu movie with this cryptic response
Steve Schirripa in The Sopranos
The Sopranos star is the latest actor to join the cast of Dexter: Resurrection
Angela holds a knife in Silent Hill 2 remake
Silent Hill 2 remake dev says he was "afraid there might be no good way" to rebuild the classic game without "archaic solutions and mechanics"
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
As the new Looney Tunes movie that Warner Bros passed on makes a strong start, one of its artists urges fans to "buy a ticket it and support it" saying "word of mouth and hype works"
Captain America: Brave New World
Giancarlo Esposito confirms he was originally set to play Marvel's King Cobra in Captain America: Brave New World: "It was a bit of a whirlwind"