Fable is one of the most promising games Xbox is currently pursuing, but like the rest of its lineup of titles, it's had some development difficulties in the past. There doesn't seem to be much going right on Xbox at the moment. Mismanagement is rampant and things are expected to change with new CEO Asha Sharma taking charge.
If the game isn't canceled, the developer itself will suffer greatly from massive layoffs and broken teams, as was the case with Obsidian Entertainment and Doom Developer ID. Games like Arkane's Blade have gone over budget, raising questions about their intended release, and Fable is no exception.
Fable reportedly went over budget
A new article from Windows Central reporter Jez Corden discussing Xbox's multi-platform strategy claims that Fable is currently “uncomfortably” over budget ahead of its February launch. Of course, it's not the end of the world, and it's unlikely that Fable will be scrapped all the way through development, but it does call into question the future of the series.
Typically, games that go over budget have to perform exceptionally well to break even, and while Fable's intended budget is unknown, it can cost up to $400 million to make a triple-A game these days. That's a lot of copies the game needs to sell, and the competition is fierce considering God of War Laufey is now scheduled to release the day before.
If Fable doesn't break even or sell as many copies as Microsoft needs, they might be justified in forgetting about the Fable franchise for the next 15 years. We'll have to see how it all plays out. But for a company as littered with future plans as Microsoft, a game that exceeds its budget isn't a good sign. Playground Games seems to have avoided much of the recent Xbox controversy, but if Fable underperforms, there's also cause to worry about the studio's future.
- released
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February 23, 2027
- ESRB
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Ages 17 and older / Blood, sexual themes, strong language, violence
- developer
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playground games
- engine
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Unreal Engine 4, Forza Tech
