GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Fable Unveiled At Xbox Showcase With Impressive New Trailer

Playground Games' reboot has emerged several years after its announcement.

35 Comments

It has been a few years since Playground Games' Fable reboot was announced by Xbox, but the game is finally ready for its time in the spotlight. As part of the Xbox Games Showcase on June 11, the upcoming role-playing game reemerged, bringing longtime fans back to a series that helped to define Microsoft's original Xbox console.

A new trailer debuted at the Xbox Games Showcase, and it was quite impressive, providing the first good look at the next Fable. It appears you will play as a physically small person in a land of giants, which is a pretty fun concept. The actor Richard Ayoade will be in the game, it seems. Check out the trailer below.

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.
This video has an invalid file format.
00:00:00
Sorry, but you can't access this content!
Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Now Playing: Fable Cinematic Trailer | Xbox Games Showcase 2023

Like all of Microsoft's games, the new Fable will launch day-and-date on Xbox Game Pass. A release date, however, was not announced.

Fable is in development at a second Playground Games studio that was established alongside the original office--the latter remains focused on the Forza Horizon series. Fable will be the first mainline entry in the series since 2010's Fable 3. In the interim, we got the Kinect-focused Fable: The Journey spin-off as well as the card game Fable Fortune, while the multiplayer game Fable Legends was killed before it left beta.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 35 comments about this story
35 Comments  RefreshSorted By 
GameSpot has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to toxic conduct in comments. Any abusive, racist, sexist, threatening, bullying, vulgar, and otherwise objectionable behavior will result in moderation and/or account termination. Please keep your discussion civil.

Avatar image for gamerbum
GamerBum

2245

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Show me a game that’s got better graphics than Fable other than Hellblade 2. I couldn’t believe that was in game footage and not CGI. Phenomenal!

I haven’t seen a single game from playstation that comes anywhere close to Fables visuals!

2 • 
Avatar image for dominicwow
Dominicwow

439

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

Dominicwow  Online

how is this trailer impressive? we still have no idea what playing the game is like. these are advertisements for video games not movies. we need gameplay otherwise its a waste of time. doesn't matter if the trailer is 'in engine'

4 • 
Avatar image for gamerbum
GamerBum

2245

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By GamerBum

@dominicwow:

It’s not in engine it’s in game footage there’s a difference.

2 • 
Avatar image for dominicwow
Dominicwow

439

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

Dominicwow  Online

@gamerbum: not when they don’t show gameplay

2 • 
Avatar image for Fursnake
Fursnake

449

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

Edited By Fursnake

Impressive is not the word I would use. I lost interest in Fable back with Fable III and this did nothing to rekindle any interest in me. In fact it looked a bit generic and like it was trying to use the quirkiness of Ayoade to sell it. Gonna pass.

2 • 
Avatar image for joecollin
JoeCollin

785

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

Edited By JoeCollin

I don’t know, the whole showcase felt like pride month to me. I don’t think any of these main characters will be very relatable or interesting. Hopefully some of them at least offer male and female MC options.

3 • 
Avatar image for just1mohr
Just1MoHr

2423

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 5

Edited By Just1MoHr

@joecollin: My sentiments exactly!

Give me Master Chief, a nano tech suite, mech, or space suite over this any time!

2 • 
Avatar image for Thuban_23
Thuban_23

616

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

Looks like it could be good. Hopefully they make it actually funny, not 2023 funny. So far it looks like the latter though.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for joecollin
JoeCollin

785

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@Thuban_23: Don’t hold your breath. Media is only “quip” funny now because actual humor offends to many people. Fable was always willing to cross a few lines and let the player act however they wanted. We’ll find out if they stayed true to the name or went Saints Row on us.

2 • 
Avatar image for sladakrobot
sladakrobot

11910

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@Thuban_23: Thx, thats the way i see it too.
I dont find the trailer funny.
I will expand it to this years and last years movies aswell...every movie which tried to be funny/edgy/woke kinda failed in my eyes

Upvote • 
Avatar image for kanakid
KanaKID

65

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

A complete change of style (which I don't like 'cause it gives me Hogwarts Legacy feeling, but that's just my first impression) and developed by a team that is famous for doing racing game... The fact that they released only a CG trailer really makes me suspicious about this. I guess we'll see...

Upvote • 
Avatar image for sladakrobot
sladakrobot

11910

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By sladakrobot

@kanakid: The guys who did Forza Horizon are not the same doing Fable.

Playground formed a 2nd studio and hired devs who are familiar with the genre.

This of course doesnt mean that Fable will be automatically a winner but we should get away from the "ppl who made only racing games prior are making Fable" meme.

2 • 
Avatar image for kanakid
KanaKID

65

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@sladakrobot: not trying to go after a meme here, I will be really happy if it comes out a good game, I really like the old fable games. Still the studio has no record of making that kind of game and even hiring people with experience in the field is not a guarantee. Unfortunately the last few years of VG history are full of studios trying to gabmble and follow trends with projects not in their DNA that ended up being quite bad. Microsoft supervision is not really a guarantee either considering how they mismanaged their most iconic franchise (Halo). Again, really hope it comes out good, unfortunately from the trailer you can't really see much of the game...

Upvote • 
Avatar image for s1taz4a3l
s1taz4a3l

1079

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

Is that the wizard from dungeon and dragons?

Still looks fun.

2 • 
Avatar image for shadow6323
shadow6323

535

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@s1taz4a3l: No, it's Moss lol

2 • 
Avatar image for gamerbum
GamerBum

2245

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By GamerBum

If that was truly in game footage then wow. Graphically Fable sits alongside Hellblade 2 as graphically the most impressive game to date.

Well actually add Forza Motorsport and Microsoft Flight Simulator to that list.

Haven’t seen anything on playstation that looks as good as these games period!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for just1mohr
Just1MoHr

2423

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 5

Edited By Just1MoHr

@gamerbum: I am an XB fan, but losing faith now. I don't feel Hellblade 2 will win any graphics awards. But you take a game like PS's Horizon & that is graphically stunning. So much color and ambient visuals that it is hard to compete with Hellblade's dark & dreary atmosphere.

Hellblade is impressive on facial capture.

I really wish MS would make graphics like Horizon in a sci-fi Male lead FPS, it would make my year!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for G-Corleone
G-Corleone

885

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

@gamerbum: really? Check out the ps5 a bit more, it is also on par when it comes the graphics

Upvote • 
Avatar image for mrbojangles25
mrbojangles25

61294

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 11

User Lists: 0

Looks good to me. Hope they can pull it off. AAA has been really disappointing of late, with maybe 1 out of 10 titles being any good.

I want good games, in either case. I just expect more from AAA devs (as I should, since they a.) promise more, and b.) have the resources to deliver if they want)

2 • 
Avatar image for cboye18
cboye18

4153

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 20

User Lists: 0

I can't believe it...they've Saints Row'd the game. It seems they're going with a constant quirky sense of humor that I can't see the appeal of. Fable had this unique tone of being lighthearted yet with disturbing or serious elements at times. Don't these devs understand nuance?

Not to mention having a fairy tale setting with the demographic of New York City. It's kinda offputting/ incongruent.

3 • 
Avatar image for G-Corleone
G-Corleone

885

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 0

@cboye18: i was put off a bit as well. I thought Fable was more than just a generic take on a fantasy trope (this case being the giant’s house setting). Im sure they have a lot more to show, and the game does indeed look really great, nice art direction, good graphics. Not a fan of real life actors taking the spotlight (only exception being maybe Keanu), but let’s give them the chance they need. They can surely mesmerise us like they did many years ago

3 • 
Avatar image for mrbojangles25
mrbojangles25

61294

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 11

User Lists: 0

@cboye18: I thought it nailed the Fable sense of humor quite well, actually. A lot of references and such given to the previous games.

Saints Row has always been about being edgy to the point of annoying, and that trailer didn't seem that way at all.

Might have been a bit closer to an "R" rating than the traditional Fable "PG-13" rating, but that might just be because standards have changed and the last Fable game was what? Like 10+ years ago?

@cboye18 said:

...

Not to mention having a fairy tale setting with the demographic of New York City. It's kinda offputting/ incongruent.

What does this mean?

Sounds like you're upset there are people of color in your fantasy game, but that can't be true. That'd be crazy to think that...

3 • 
Avatar image for cboye18
cboye18

4153

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 20

User Lists: 0

@mrbojangles25: The dislike ratio on youtube gives me a different impression on what people seem to think of this.

And yes, putting college hipsters with skittles orientation upfront is exactly what devs did with the new Saints Row. It doesn't fit at all. It's as cringy as watching those Mortal Kombat trailers with the rap in the background.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for tsunami2311
tsunami2311

1844

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

tsunami2311  Online

More CGI from Microsoft so much for them say they would show gameplay and less CGI

Upvote • 
Avatar image for just1mohr
Just1MoHr

2423

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 5

@tsunami2311: They tricked me too. I thought it was going to be mostly gameplay with some in game footage. Looks like mostly in game CG trailers.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for deactivated-64c06b51403e7
deactivated-64c06b51403e7

1190

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 16

User Lists: 0

They all look terrible!

**** me! Even I look better than that!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for mooglestar
MoogleStar

3602

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

A CG trailer? Isn't it like 5 years in development.

3 • 
Avatar image for gamerbum
GamerBum

2245

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@mooglestar:

It wasn’t CG it was in game footage. Try harder bruh!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for mooglestar
MoogleStar

3602

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@gamerbum: read further. not explaining again.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for JamesHetfield89
JamesHetfield89

754

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@mooglestar: yeah they announced it that far back. I don’t think the Playground Games version is that far along though. I believe they started over on the game from near zero just 2-3 years ago.

Not that there shouldn’t be some footage though. CGI trailer for an announced game years into the process is pretty lame.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for mooglestar
MoogleStar

3602

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@JamesHetfield89: Ah well. A trailer/announcement is still better than nothing @sonyfirstparty 😅

Upvote • 
Avatar image for gargar
gargar

5428

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@mooglestar: It's not CG. It's the game engine graphics.

2 • 
Avatar image for mooglestar
MoogleStar

3602

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@gargar: My miscommunication, I meant to say how lame that it's a cinematic and not gameplay.

2 •