Why Fable 4 feels like "making a new Star Wars movie," according to Xbox studio head

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Out with some of the old, in with just enough new

(Image credit: Playground Games)

Fable 4, which is technically just developer Playground Games' Fable, is facing the same balancing act as the newest Star Wars movies, as Microsoft Studios head Matt Booty puts it. 

Discussing Playground's vision for the series' reboot with The Guardian, Booty noted that the studio's designers "have a real passion for the IP and a unique point of view on what’s core to Fable." He also discussed the difficulties of reviving a series after so long, namely deciding what to keep and what to build on.  

"With any kind of franchise like that, where you've had existing versions, there's always that balance between what you're going to bring forward, what still stands up, and what you want to add that's new," Booty says. "It's like the challenge of making a new Star Wars movie – there's stuff that everyone wants you to bring along, but then you've got a responsibility to take that to new places and I trust Playground has a good vision for that."

Early rumors suggested that the new Fable will be less like a traditional RPG and more of an MMORPG, or at least an MMO-adjacent RPG, but Playgrounds' approach to the series remains unclear. Its reveal trailer told us very little apart from its name, so at this stage we just need to wait for more information. Hopefully Microsoft has more to share ahead of the holiday launch for the Xbox Series X.

Whatever Fable is, it won't arrive anytime soon, and may even be a 2022 release. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.