Next year's major reboot of Fable 4 will be developed by Playground Games, the Xbox studio behind the Forza Horizon series, taking over from Lionhead Studios. The team just released Forza Horizon 6 this year to near-universal acclaim, and with Fable 4 scheduled for release on February 23, 2027, everyone is eager to see what kind of visuals and gameplay experience a team that has only made racing games can deliver for this classic fantasy RPG IP.
At first glance, selecting Playground Games to develop Fable 4 might seem surprising, but the studio sees it as a valuable opportunity to prove their capabilities in a new genre.
In an interview with The Guardian, Playground co-founder and Fable 4 game director Ralph Fulton said, "I think there was a bit of pride involved in wanting to prove we could establish ourselves in other genres." He pointed out that both Fable 4 and Forza Horizon use an open-world structure, even though only one of the two series is entirely centered around driving.
Fulton stated, "It makes sense not to stray too far from the development experience we've built with Horizon. This project certainly won't include vehicle driving mechanics, but open-world design is an area where our skills are transferable." Playground Games joined Xbox Game Studios (then known as Microsoft Studios) in 2018, and when invited to take on Fable 4 years later, the team didn't hesitate for a moment.
"When Xbox mentioned Fable 4, all other opportunities faded into the background. Our minds were completely focused on this project," said Fulton.