In days of yore, Xbox’s greatest claim to fame was its numerous incredible exclusive titles. The likes ofGears of War,Halo, andFablewere reason enough to choose Xbox over its competitors, but that playing field has since been leveled with the introduction of many PlayStation exclusives. Still, fans of theFableseries have eagerly awaited a new game, despite numerous false rumors and failed attempts at making new games in the franchise. Having a strong exclusive launch title would do wonders for the Xbox Series X’s launch, and theFableseries seems like the right way to go in regards to iconic Xbox exclusives that have been somewhat neglected in the past.
For those unaware, theFableseries is composed of somewhat whimsical action-adventure games which emphasize player choice above all else. The players choices have the power to not only change the world around them, but even how the character looks and how other characters interact with the player. Now, the Xbox Series X is Microsoft’s upcoming next generation console, and since exclusive launch titles have helped consoles tremendously in the past, it seems likely that the Xbox Series X will feature a few. It’s uncertain if one of those could or would be a newFablegame, astheFableseries has been largely neglecteddue to various setbacks, with the last main entry of the series,Fable 3, being released in 2010 on the Xbox 360.
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Since the release ofFable 3in 2010 for Xbox 360, only three otherFablegames have been released, all of which were offshoots which differed greatly from the core gameplay mechanics fans have come to expect from the franchise. In 2012, Microsoft releasedFableHeroes, a family friendly beat ‘em up style game set in theFableuniverse. Although reviews for this game were mixed, the general consensus was that, although the game was enjoyable, it simply was not truly aFablegame and did little to satisfy players’ desires for anewFablegame.
Also in 2012 cameFable: The Journey. Although this game returned to its less family friendly roots, it was still decried by fans for its on rails nature, mostly due to the game relying entirely on the Xbox Kinect. At the time, the Kinect was still very much an experimental feature, and one that Microsoft has dropped for the most part moving forward. It’s possible this is why Microsoft has moved away from “extra” features, even claiming that dropping plans forvirtual reality on Xbox One. The result is a game that, although it does have a somewhat compelling story and set of characters, ended up being boring and not enough to make up for the absence of a new main entry.
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2018 saw the release ofFable Fortune. This game is a free to play digital card game style experience, and the onlyFablegame ever released on Xbox One. Although this game did even better to stay true to the series' roots, it was largely ignored. The game has very few reviews on any platforms, and yet again is not what fans of the franchise wanted.Fable Fortunefeels like a reminder to fans that the franchise has not been forgotten, and hopefullyFable 4will come soon.
What better time to launchFable 4than alongside the release of a brand new generation of Xbox? With the systems new capabilities, the game could wow players and would certainly cause an increase in sales of the new console. Given that it has now been a full 10 years since the last main entry of aFablegame, it is expected (and arguably very impressive) that there are many fans pushing for the next entry. While other Xbox exclusives likeGears of WarandHalohave seen their fair share of representation on the Xbox One,Fablehas largely been pushed to the side, and a franchise with so many loyal fans deserves far better.
