Microsoft and Playground Games announced theFablereboot in 2020, but neither company has revealed much about the upcoming game. Developers confirmed that it would be an RPG, with Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg describing it as “a completely fresh start” for the franchise. Fans also know thatPlayground is developing the game in its ForzaTech engine, which the studio designed for theForza Horizonseries. However, anything beyond that is little more than speculation.
One topic of this speculation is whether theFablereboot will offer fans a closer look at the Void. NoFablegame ever had players visit the sinister alternate dimension, but it’s nevertheless played an essential role throughout the series. Given its importance to the setting, it might be a good idea for Playground Games to expand upon the Void, possibly even letting players interact with it directly.
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What is the Void?
Little is known about the Void itself besides that it is a seemingly malevolent alternate dimension inhabited by various malicious entities. These include an order of powerful beings known as the Court, who conquered the world before Albion’s recorded history. The first Hero, William Black, defeated the Court and freed Albion from the Void’s clutches. However, the Void still exists, and its inhabitants never abandoned their quest to conquerFable’s world.
The originalFable’s Jack of Bladeswas one such entity, and he was the only member of the Court who escaped banishment to the Void. Meanwhile, a trio of powerful shadow entities known as the Shadow Court appear inFable 2and may even represent the same collection of beings. They were powerful enough to destroy the town of Oakvale in a single instant, command an army of lesser Shadows, and have a penchant for making sinister bargains.Fable 2’s Temple of Shadows also seems to worship the Void’s inhabitants, sacrificing humans that the player brings them.
The Void is also the source ofFable 3’s Darkness, known as Corruption inFable: The Journey. Albion suffers a direct Void invasion during the final act ofFable 3when the Crawler leads his army of Shadows to consume the land. This story continues inthe Kinect gameFable: The Journey, where players learn that the Crawler was simply a high-ranking minion of a being called the Corruptor. The latter serves asThe Journey’s antagonist, though players never have the opportunity to confront it during the game.
The Void in The Fable Reboot
Given the Void’s influence over theFableseries and prominence inFable 3andFable: The Journey, the Void might have played an even more prominent role in Lionhead’s vision of the franchise’s future. However, withLionhead Studios having shut downin 2016 and Playground Games rebooting the franchise, it’s unclear how prominent the Void will be in the nextFablegame. Still, fans might appreciate it if the next game offers a closer look at the sinister parallel realm.
Despite its importance, the Void has hardly been fleshed out enough to have any real mystery or intrigue to it.Fablenever depicted it as anything more than a source of monsters and main villains. WhileFablehas always been relatively restrained in its world-building, it’s strange that there’s so little lore about such an influential part ofFable’s universe.
One could compareFable’s Void to the Realm of Chaos and The Warp fromWarhammer FantasyandWarhammer 40K. The Realms of Chaos fills a similar role to the Void, being an immaterial realm whose demonic inhabitants have a corrupting influence on the mortal world. However, it’s also much more fleshed out, with the Chaos Gods each having their unique spheres and objectives, not all of which humans can comprehend.The Elders Scrolls’ planes of Oblivion are similar role, and the conflicts betweenOblivion’s different Daedric Princeshave shaped Tamriel’s history.
The Void is arguably just as crucial toFable’s setting as Chaos and Oblivion are to their respective settings. Unfortunately, the Shadow entities don’t have the same personality or colorful flourishes asthe Daedraor Chaos Gods.Fable’s Jack of Blades is the obvious exception and a great villain in his own right. However, the other Void entities don’t hold a candle to the likes ofThe Elder Scrolls’ Boethia andWarhammer’s Tzeentch.
Of course,Fabledoesn’t need to beThe Elder ScrollsorWarhammer, and no one says it should. Fans appreciateFablefor its gameplay, sense of humor, and clever writing, not deep and complex lore. However, expanding on the Void just a little bit might make the game’s setting that much more interesting.
Fableis in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
