Fableisn’t quite the mystery that it used to be. The reboot’s initial announcement last year shared next to no information, aside from what seemed like a cursory glance at the world. While it seemed clear at the time that Playground Games, the new developer ofFable,wanted to return to classic fantasy, more specifics on gameplay and lore were nowhere to be found. However, little by little, there’s things coming out about the spiritualFable 4thanks to job listings and leaks. It looks likeFable’s reboot will be an open-world RPG in the same vein asFable 2andFable 3,indicating Playground’s attempt to preserve some franchise traditions.
What exactly does ‘open world’ mean in the context ofFable,though? Just how big does Playground Games want its game to be? Odds are that it’ll be compared to games likeThe Elder Scrolls: Skyrim,which gave players a truly tremendous open world to work with. On the one hand, it’s understandable that fans will compareFableto the likes ofSkyrim,consideringSkyrim’s influence on the industry. On the other hand, though, it might be unfair to Playground Games and its first AAA RPG to make that connection.Fabledoesn’t have to imitatethe looming scale of its peers to be a success, and frankly, it shouldn’t.
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Pitting Fable Against Skyrim
Ask any gamer to name one of the biggest open-world RPGs of the last ten years, and odds are good that they’ll mentionSkyrim.Bethesda has found so much successon rereleasing and tweakingSkyrimsince its release in 2011 that it only makes sense that it’s become a bar for the genre. If Playground Games is keepingFableopen world, it’ll inevitably be compared toSkyrim’s huge overworld packed with sidequests, flavor details, and colorful characters. That doesn’t mean that it’ll be a totally fair comparison, though.
There’s a crucial difference between theFablereboot andSkyrim.Bethesda has a great many years of developing RPGs under its belt. Its name is synonymous with AAA endeavors in the genre, and its RPGs have millions of fans across the world. Playground Games has its own fanbase thanks toits success withForza Horizon,but it has no previous experience in RPGs. Playground Games probably isn’t going to produce its ownSkyrimin its first shot at making an open-world RPG. If it tries too hard to live up to that titanic example, theFablereboot could crack under the pressure.
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Quality over Quantity
It’s not healthy for Playground to fuss over making its first attempt atFablethe new paragon of its genre. It’d be best ifFable’s development focused on details, making a smaller world that’s compellingly presented. That’s the best way for Playground to get the experience it needs tokeep theFablefranchise running. Rather than imitating competition,Fable 4can succeed by breathing new life into the elements of the franchise that its fans love while also possibly fulfilling some ofFable’s broken promises. It doesn’t have to be a massive game to win the hearts of fans.
Getting a bit of a clearer picture ofFable’s direction is nice. It’ll probably be a long time before Microsoft and Playground Games can share a lot of information about the game, since it looks like it’s still really early in its development. If fans are really lucky, there’ll besome mention of it at E3, but odds aren’t good. That might be for the best. A little peace and quiet will give Playground Games room to breathe and figure out how it wants to tackle its first RPG. There’ll be time forFableand Playground Games to be under the spotlight once the game is in a presentable state. For now, any comparison toSkyrimand its peers should be tabled.
Fableis in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
