Two days after Fable's darkest trailer yet at the June 2026 Xbox Games Showcase, Playground Games has decided to release a 30-minute gameplay showcase video of its highly anticipated action-RPG.

This video gives players their first proper taste of Fable's gameplay, specifically its life-simulation elements like building relationships with every NPC, a Reputation system that changes how people react to you, buying properties, and much more.

The trailer starts with a look at the various ways the player can interact with NPCs in the game. Depending on how NPCs feel about you and your reputation, they can either be friendly or hostile towards you.

For example, if you've a stranger in a town who hasn't made a name for themselves, people will treat you with indifference if you try to ask them for favors, information, or follow you around.

This is where Fable's Reputation system comes in. By performing actions of renown like giving money to beggars, buying pubs to start a business, and saving the lives of talking pigs (don't ask), people will start seeing you as a merciful, shrewd, rich entrepreneur and be more friendly towards you.

However, not everyone likes a rich guy. For example, a humble merchant may start price-hiking their goods when you try to buy clothes from them because of the shrewd, rich, and entrepreneurial reputations you gained.

The trailer also shows that Fable allows the player to romance NPCs, move into any house you own together, marry them, have children with them, and even break up with them.

In contrast to being an upstanding citizen, you have the choice to be a menace to society by randomly using your weapon in public or randomly attacking NPCs. If you do that, the local militia will come to beat you, and that's when we get a glimpse at Fable's combat system, which is the final exhibit of this deep dive video.

In Fable, you can unleash a flurry of melee attacks while mixing in magic to decimate foes. You can turn enemies into chickens and then roast them into Sunday dinners with fireballs, lift enemies in the air with mini-tornadoes, and teleport behind enemies to cut them down.

Fighting with the law will put a bounty on your head, causing enemies to chase after you if you return to a town that hates you. You can pay the fine to get rid of the bounty, but that won't change the people's negative opinions towards your new reputation as Killer and Criminal.

You can change the people's minds about you by performing good deeds as an act of redemption or paying a town's crier to change your Reputation status in a town.

However, this will cost you a megaton of gold, which you can earn by completing quests, maintaining your businesses, renting out your homes, or taking up part-time jobs like blacksmithing, just to name a few methods.

Windows Central's Take

I'm not going to lie, I wasn't interested in the Fable reboot at first due to a lack of proper gameplay deep dives, and, speaking as someone who played the original game back in the early 2000s on the OG Xbox, the previous cinematic trailers didn't really feel like Fable to me.

However, this gameplay deep dive combined with the June 2026 Xbox Games Showcase trailer, which showed the return of Jack of Blades (the main villain from the original Fable), has changed my mind.

The vibrant, colorful art style with a tongue-in-cheek take on fantasy tropes, buying houses, dating random NPCs that can lead to marriages, moral choices, and getting in trouble with the law - these were all in the original Fable.

Even from what little we've seen of the combat system in this deep dive feels like the original Fable. Seeing the teleport attack (originally known as the Assassin Rush) chop helpless guards while green experience orbs pop out of them upon death just gave me waves of nostalgia.

However, the reboot version is taking these elements and building upon them in new and exciting ways that weren't possible back then due to limited technology.

So, Playground Games, I would like to apologise for doubting you up to this point because you now have my undivided attention and I can't wait to see more.

Fable is scheduled to launch on February 23, 2027, for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Game Pass (Day One), Xbox on PC, PlayStation 5, and Steam.

🗨️ Over to you

What do you think of Fable's first gameplay deep dive video? Has it convinced you to buy the game, or do you need more deep dives into Fable's other systems, like its combat, for instance?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll below, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

At the Xbox Games Showcase 2026, the long-awaited Fable finally stepped into the spotlight with a brand-new story trailer. The footage gave us our darkest look yet at the whimsical yet dangerous world of Albion.

The trailer also confirmed the game’s official release date: February 23, 2027.

This new window follows the decision to shift the launch out of 2026, ensuring the title avoids a direct clash with Grand Theft Auto 6 (and the other 3000 games coming out at the end of 2026). Those looking to jump in early can grab the Premium Edition for early access starting February 18, 2027.

Following the trailer, an in-depth Xbox Wire blogpost detailed the star-studded British cast bringing these characters to life. The feature highlights the game’s primary antagonist, Isabel, played with formidable depth by Hayley Atwell, alongside a cast that reads like a "who’s who" of UK talent, including Matt King, Richard Ayoade, Natasia Demetriou, and more.

Associate Narrative Director Craig Owens provided key insights into the cast, explaining how these actors were chosen to perfectly embody their roles. The piece is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand the personality and tone of this new Fable iteration before it arrives on Xbox Series X|S, PC, Steam, and PlayStation 5, as well as day one on Xbox Game Pass.

For the full breakdown of the cast, character backstories, and more behind-the-scenes details, head over to Xbox Wire.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Despite numerous affirmations that Fable was indeed coming this year, Matt Booty has unfortunately confirmed in a new Xbox podcast that the game has been delayed.

In the podcast, Booty states:

“We talked about Forza Horizon 6 and how the team at Playground is doing really well. Also doing really well on Fable. The game is in great shape. The team feels really good. We're excited about where the game is.

We want to make sure that that game has a window all to its own, so we are going to move it from this fall to February. And again, we really just want it to have its own moment to shine. And related to Fable, we will be seeing more of it in Showcase. So we're going to have plenty for people to see. It really is coming together well, exciting stuff, and then we're going to move to February.”

It's a shame to see, but with how packed this year already is, I'm sure many fans won't mind giving Fable a bit more time in the oven to ensure it's fully ready.

Alongside this announcement, Xbox also posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter), saying:

“This year is packed with incredible games for XBOX players to enjoy, from Halo: Campaign Evolved, Gears of War: E-Day and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 to Control Resonant, Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Grand Theft Auto VI. In order to plan our game launches through the holidays, in a way that works best for players, we’re moving Fable to February 2027 so it can have the dedicated moment it deserves. We’re excited to be giving players a major new look at Fable, as well as our broader lineup, at XBOX Games Showcase on June 7.”

I'm personally more than happy to give Fable the time it needs, but what about you? Are you gutted, happy to wait, or didn't care much for Fable in the first place? Let me know in the comments and be sure to take part in our poll!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

It’s really not long now until Xbox’s next showcase, with just under two weeks to go. Anticipation for what Xbox might reveal is quite high, alongside deeper looks at games we already know are on the horizon, like Fable.

One eagle-eyed fan online also noticed that ahead of Xbox’s upcoming showcase, Xbox has added a few games to the “Coming to Game Pass” tab. To save beating around the bush, I’ll list the standout games here:

• Clockwork Revolution
• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
• Tropico 7
• Armatus
• Witchbrook
• Fable
• There Are No Ghosts at the Grand

There’s the obvious one here, Fable, which is hotly anticipated and currently set to release this year. Playground Games recently reaffirmed that, with the game set to launch on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5 this year.

Perhaps most interestingly, Clockwork Revolution is now listed as coming soon. The game currently has no official release date, though it has been heavily speculated to launch this year.

Clockwork Revolution is being developed by inXile Entertainment, a highly regarded studio known for its RPG pedigree. The game itself is set within a steampunk Victorian-inspired world, which to me sounds pretty exciting and interesting.

Also surprisingly, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is listed as coming soon too, especially considering the game still has no official release date despite being scheduled for this year.

All of this does beg the question as to whether we’ll finally get official release dates for some of these games during Xbox’s showcase. Perhaps their launches are sooner than many of us expected, or at least that’s what I’m hoping for anyway.

Out of the list personally, I’m probably most excited for Fable, as I'm sure many others are too. I’ve got quite fond memories of playing the older games when I was younger and having to share an Xbox with my brother.

Enough about me, though; let me know which of these games you’re most looking forward to in the comments, and make sure you take part in our poll!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft and Xbox have a handful of different first-party titles coming out of their Xbox Game Studios publishing label in 2026, ranging from Halo Studios' Halo: Campaign Evolved remake to The Coalition's Gears of War: E-Day that's set to get its own Direct presentation during the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase.

One developer that's slated to have a particularly big year, though, is Playground Games — the team behind the newly released and critically acclaimed arcade racer Forza Horizon 6, and also the studio working on the humorous and deeply reactive Fable reboot that's scheduled to come to Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox Game Pass, and PS5 later this fall.

Forza Horizon 6 has been a colossal success for Xbox and Playground Games thus far, with the title getting rave reviews from critics and fans alike, achieving its biggest ever Early Access launch, and hitting massive milestones just days after release. Its developers have also committed to supporting it over time with seasonal Festival Playlist updates, the first of which is now live.

With the spotlight shining brightly on Forza and Playground planning regular content additions for the game, many have understandably had some concerns that we might see Fable get delayed past its previously confirmed Fall 2026 launch window, potentially even to 2027. According to a new post from the studio, though, the RPG is still on track for its release this year.

"After the incredible launch of Forza Horizon 6 this week, the excitement across the studio is sky-high," began the developers in a LinkedIn post about job openings. "But we’re not done yet. With Fable coming later this year, we’re continuing to recruit across multiple disciplines to bring more exceptional talent into the team."

While there was never any definitive reason to believe we wouldn't end up getting the Fable reboot this year, it's reassuring to see Playground Games reaffirm its release window all the same. Notably, we still don't have a specific release date yet, but I'm sure one will come on June 7 during the Xbox Games Showcase.

We last saw Fable in January during Xbox Developer Direct 2026, with Playground providing fans with a lengthy 11-minute long deep dive into the RPG's immersive and reactive gameplay systems, along with a look at some of its low-key slice-of-life roleplaying opportunities and its unashamedly British humor that's deeply woven into the experience.

Pretty much everyone here at Team Windows Central, myself included, thought what Fable's developers had to show was great, and believe Xbox games have a bright future if they're all as high-quality as Fable seems to be. Of course, we won't know if the fantasy adventure is actually good until it's in our hands, but I certainly have high hopes.

The creator of the franchise, Peter Molyneux, evidently does as well; he said he was "tearing up" as he watched the RPG's gameplay reveal and overview, and felt it was "really smart" to opt for a reboot instead of a sequel to the series that was put on hiatus long ago. "F*** me. This thing that we created, it's going to live, it’s going to carry on," he said.

Are you looking forward to playing Fable later this year? Let me know in the comments, and in our poll as well.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Over the years, Microsoft has substantially grown the size of its Xbox Game Studios publishing wing, with the firm now overseeing over 30 game development teams as they update existing titles and work on upcoming projects.

Given how many studios there are and how different their specializations are, too, many assume that they operate under Xbox within their own cordoned-off bubbles and don't interact much. According to Xbox's recently promoted chief content officer Matt Booty, however, that's actually not the case at all.

"It is the case that we have got a lot of different kinds of studios, and they've all got their own cultures, so we think of it as a culture of cultures," he said during the latest edition of the Official Xbox Podcast. "I see a big part of my job is to provide just enough connection and just enough structure across those that they can communicate with each other, that they can share things back and forth, but never to the point that we're coming in over the top trying to change who they are."

Booty went on to explain that all across Xbox Game Studios, several teams are collaborating with other developers in order to share helpful technologies or work together on projects where their shared expertise would be beneficial. For example, he revealed that the cinematics team at World of Warcraft and Diablo developer Blizzard is actually contributing to Playground Games' upcoming highly anticipated fantasy RPG Fable.

"We've really seen a lot, once we build those connections, of teams starting to share things with each other. ... There's a lot of examples of that. One, maybe just to sort of show a more complicated round trip, you had State of Decay 2, which had some pretty sophisticated technology for doing saving shared worlds and how you sort of save this persistent state, and the team at Obsidian, which is a really small team that built Grounded, took that tech to use in Grounded, but then the people at Obsidian kind of added to it, and now it's gone first circle back to Undead Labs to be in State of Decay 3," he added. "That's kind of a cool example of how once we build these pathways, there's a lot going on in between the different teams."

Some other examples Booty mentioned include South of Midnight dev Compulsion Games making use of Activision's Mo Cap studio, Sea of Thieves creator Rare helping with Double Fine's imminent pottery brawler Kiln, narrative tools shared between RPG developers, and in-game shop tech coming from Minecraft to Microsoft Flight Simulator to Starfield.

Gears of War's The Coalition is also doing work with the Unreal Engine that's benefitting several Xbox studios, and Booty says those efforts are at the core of the "XGTG" — a team called the Xbox Games Technology Group that "has the center of excellence around Unreal Engine work."

"That is the group that really has the center of excellence around Unreal Engine work and then takes that out and makes it available to the other studios," he explained. "They're not brought in to work on the games and they're not a firefighting team. They are developing the technology but packaging it up in a way that it's very easy to hand off to the other studios."

All in all, it's very cool to hear that Xbox's various development teams are collaborating a lot with one another, and the news that the Blizzard Cinematics department is working on Fable is pretty exciting in particular, given how awesome WoW, Diablo, and Overwatch cinematics are. Here's hoping the "culture of cultures" continues to make development smoother for all of Xbox Game Studios.

Would you like to see Xbox Game Studios developers collaborate on games on a deeper level, and perhaps co-develop projects? Let me know in the comments, and vote in our poll.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Forza Horizon 6 has been shaping up to be the best entry in the series, at least, that’s what it looks like at a glance. The dazzling spectacle of Japan, coupled with all the new and shiny upgrades to the ForzaTech Engine, promises to bring denser traffic, more dynamic environments, and improvements that will bring the world to a level of detail never found in previous games. The whole adding things doesn’t seem to be the only direction that the franchise has taken.

The Forza Horizon team has announced that Forza Horizon 6 will no longer feature Club functionality. Since Xbox is removing Social Clubs from the platform this April, Playground is being forced to retire the feature as well, since it relies on that tech as the foundation for its later Forza games.

Not only does this change affect Forza Horizon 6, but it forces Playground to shut down social clubs down on Forza Horizon 5 and Forza Horizon 4. Forza Horizon 3 is not affected by this. Digging a little deeper, Forza Horizon 3 doesn’t use the Xbox Social Club feature as its backbone.

Why not just build it again?

Forza Horizon 3 used its own proprietary Social Club feature to get the job done, which in turn begs the question, why not just do the same thing for Forza Horizon 6?

For Forza Horizon 4 and 5, there’s very little reason to continue to update the games so long into their life cycle, with the sequel only months away. There will be far fewer players on Horizon 5 as people move over to the next game, making the idea of rebuilding something nobody would use rather silly.

As for Forza Horizon 6, it’s really the same reason. Playground is currently only a couple of months away from launching its next game. Not to mention this will be the first time they’ve ever launched across three platforms all at once.

Development time is currently being spent on bug fixing, optimization, and polishing. I don’t think anybody with reasonable expectations would think they could rebuild the feature all over again and put it in Forza Horizon 6 in time for it to work across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5.

Don Joewon Song, a renowned Forza Horizon fan and content creator, was especially surprised by the removal of the component.

“I can't believe I'm saying this. Forza Horizon 6 will NOT feature In-Game Clubs. This will be the first Forza Horizon title to not have this feature!!”

Maybe this is a good thing

If you’re not a regular Social Club user, maybe its removal doesn’t sting much. Since Forza Horizon 4, clubs have felt stripped-down and a bit soulless. But for Millennials like me, the original Forza Horizon trilogy had clubs that actually mattered, with leaderboards, club rewards, and a real sense of belonging, not just a roster of random names.

In other words, the newer systems were awful by comparison. Maybe we can go back to the ways of old?

Banding with fellow players once led to noteworthy rewards, something missing from Forza Horizon 4 and 5. If you’d like to see this kind of teamwork-focused feature make a comeback in Forza Horizon 6, consider supporting the petition currently making the rounds on the Forza Horizon forums. Let’s come together and advocate for a club system built from the ground up!

How do you feel about clubs being dropped?

Losing Social Clubs does mean Forza Horizon 6 won't have one of the unique aspects previous games had. A place for players to come together without having to rely on external services like Discord.

Is the loss going to affect your enjoyment of the newest Forza Horizon game compared to its predecessors?

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

When it comes to the Xbox ship, the course it's been sailing has been what one might call a rocky one. After slowly bringing a few games from Xbox and Windows PC over to PlayStation, the floodgates have opened with the latest entry of Forza Horizon, Fable, Gears of War, and even Xbox’s beloved Halo franchise.

Some folks have been okay with the idea because it’s a genuinely good thing to give gamers more access to games. That’s why they’re gamers! But it’s caused a calamity of sorts in the minds of people like me who have asked the question, why buy an Xbox at all?

If all the games you’re making will be coming to other platforms, what other reason is there to pick your console over another when the competition has an extra perk or two in the form of games? I argued that Game Pass was still a reason to play Xbox, but with the advent of PC gaming hitting all-time highs (sans AI pricing out the market), players could flock to that ecosystem as well. Heck, that’s Windows is just another Microsoft platform

That’s why I think the recent shuffle at Xbox has caused quite a few people on social media to start giving advice to the new CEO, Asha Sharma. At the top of almost every single list I personally read, I see someone mentioning the need for exclusive games again. I even see people asking for the ports of Halo, Fable, Forza, and other games to be cancelled entirely.

Xbox CEO says, "The plan's the plan until it's not the plan."

I didn’t think any of this was possible, since it’s such a cataclysmic shift in thinking to go from being exclusive to non-exclusive; there was no way they’d reverse that decision, right? Well, Asha spoke to our Jez Corden recently and didn’t rule it out.

When asked what Asha Sharma thought about the idea of returning to exclusive games, she said, "Right now, I need to learn, candidly. About the 'why' of these decisions, what we were optimizing for, and what the data says about the Xbox strategy today. That's the honest answer. I'm looking at lifetime value, not just what happened in a previous moment, or in short-term efficiencies and things like that. The plan's the plan until it's not the plan."

Excuse me? Did she really say that? I know fans were speculating after her initial, “Hear you,” comment on X when someone asked her last Friday to return to making games exclusive, but everyone thought it was more fluff than actual talk.

This is the CEO of Xbox coming out and stating, word-for-word, that the idea of games coming back to being made for their hardware only is not out of the picture. Is that a glint of hope I see in the corner of my eye?

The Xbox ecosystem has been suffering financially over the last couple of years, and whether it’s been the hardware price increases, exclusives, Game Pass hikes, or something else, it’s clear that the status quo won’t do anymore. Asha Sharma may have been brought in without a massive amount of gaming experience, but when it comes to customer acquisition, it’s one of her greatest strengths.

A return to form for Xbox that included a world of exclusives consumers waited years for the platform to achieve would be terrific. However, I don’t think that will be happening overnight. Nor do I think that will start with games like the Halo remake or Forza Horizon, which make mega bucks on PlayStation.

First, Asha needs to learn the business, and that means going around to development studios as detailed in her latest interview. But it also means committing to the ‘return of Xbox’ and the hardware itself; the rest of the decisions will come with time.

"Xbox players have thousands of dollars invested, in money and time too — it's incredibly important for me to understand that and protect that," Sharma said. "I am committed to 'returning to Xbox,' and that starts with console, that starts with hardware. You will hear more about that soon; we'll have some announcements coming up. You will see us collectively investing here.” Asha explained.

Continuing, “We also know that there are a lot of players who aren't on console or our hardware, and I want to deliver great games to them too. I need to learn more about what that can look like, what decisions were made, what we need to do going forward, and I want a little bit of time and space to do that."

The commitment to hardware seems to have been in the works for some time, while the idea that exclusives could make a comeback seems rather fresh. Like, new CEO fresh. Only time will tell if Xbox and Microsoft see the return of a once set-in-stone console perk as good for their business.

What do you think about Xbox’s shifting stance on exclusives?

Xbox leadership’s “the plan is the plan until it’s not the plan” line leaves a lot of room for interpretation — and potential change. We want to hear how you’re reading it. Do you think Xbox should lean back into exclusives, stay multiplatform, or find a new middle ground?

Drop your thoughts below and join the conversation!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

One of the big upcoming games Microsoft and Xbox showed off during last month's Xbox Developer Direct Showcase was Fable, a reboot of the fan-favorite RPG series that was a staple of the console's library in the OG Xbox and Xbox 360 days. Fable was very popular back then, though its popularity waned after Fable 3 underperformed, Fable Legends was canceled, and Microsoft ultimately shut developer Lionhead Studios down in 2016.

A decade later, though, Fable is back, with its reboot in development at Xbox Game Studios' Playground Games (which is also making Forza Horizon 6) and scheduled to release in Fall 2026 across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, and Xbox Game Pass. And when Xbox gave fans an extensive overview of its gameplay mechanics and RPG systems, the series' original creator, Peter Molyneux, was brought to tears by the showcase.

"When I was watching the Fable trailer, I just felt myself tearing up," Molyneux told IGN in a new interview. "I know that I could probably be slaughtered for saying that, but I am someone who cries frequently, and I felt incredibly emotional, and the reason I felt emotional was: F*** me. This thing that we created, it's going to live, it’s going to carry on. This world, which we loved creating so much, and other people loved, has a life."

"And for me, the saddest thing would be to see it diminish, which is one of the reasons I'm really going back to God games. So that was the overall emotion," he continued. "I thought it was really smart of them to retell Fable 1 rather than have the burden of continuing the Fable story. I loved seeing some of those references. I thought it was super smart to have the kid’s family turn to stone. I thought that was really smart. And so those were all the plus points."

Overall, Molyneux seems to very much enjoy the direction Playground Games is taking Fable in. The original games were defined by the deep reactivity of their fantasy worlds, slice-of-life gameplay elements to enjoy on the side, and unapologetically British comedy — all things the studio has committed to carrying into the reboot and elevating.

Ultimately, his only criticism of what's been shown so far is that he feels the game is a bit too "clean," with "all the angles being sharp and defined." He hopes to see more "dirtiness" in the world as we approach Fable's upcoming 2026 launch.

"I mean, if I was critical, which I think you want me to be, there was a slight antiseptic feel about it. But I mean, they've got months and months to build in that character and almost that dirtiness that you want in the world," he explained.

"I never thought Fable as being clean and all the angles being sharp and defined. It's more chaotic. It's more what Old England probably used to be, which was not straight lines, the place, it's more crinkling, and all the buckle belts on people are ridiculously large, and the boots and the hands ridiculously large because that is part of the character," he added. "So there’s a little bit more of that character, which I would probably foolishly and ridiculously ask for."

Even though he'd prefer to see Fable be a bit more down-to-earth and rough around the edges, though, Molyneux is still absolutely going to check out the reboot once it arrives.

"Absolutely. For sure," he said when asked if he's going to play. "Not as someone looking for the flaws and faults, but as someone who truly loves and adores that universe." And love and adore it he does; his new Masters of Albion God game coming in April is set in the world of Fable, with Molyneux taking advantage of the fact that "Albion can't be copyrighted."

How did you feel about what Xbox and Playground Games showed of Fable at the Xbox Developer Direct Showcase? Will you be checking the RPG reboot out when it launches this year, or does it not really interest you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Fable shows that Xbox has gotten serious about AAA quality, and I think this could end up being the new normal for Xbox Game Studios.

I don't think it's any secret that over the past decade, Xbox has had a bit of a games problem. Looking back to the past, we have examples like Recore, Redfall, Crackdown 3, among others that had solid concepts but failed to hit the expected quality bar. Times are changing, though.

Microsoft has also had some big wins, of course. Forza Horizon 3, 4, 5, and likely 6 being primary examples. Other games like Microsoft Flight Simulator have become staples in their respective genre. And Microsoft is inarguably a master of service games, turning Minecraft into a global phenomenon, with Sea of Thieves and other home-grown efforts on top. However, Microsoft's big Xbox gaming success stories have something in common ...

For whatever reason, games that are heavy on story content, or "game of the year contender" type depth has eluded Xbox for an incredibly long time.

In recent years, thanks to studios like Obsidian, Rare, The Coalition, Bethesda, and other studios, Microsoft has delivered a strong and consistent cadence of high-quality games — but they've rarely been considered for the biggest accolades the industry has to offer. I've argued in the past that games like Forza Horizon should've at least been nominated, but it stands to reason that those deciding these awards feel more connected with character-driven experiences. Content from Xbox rival platforms like PlayStation's God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, and Death Stranding soak up a lot of the attention, while Nintendo's "fun" gameplay systems-first experiences like Mario and Donkey Kong win on the other end.

My perception is that Xbox's games typically straddle this middle "AA" ground. Gears of War 4 and 5 had some great story telling and decent combat, but arguably lacked the depth of similar titles in the same vein. Gears of War 5 in particular played a lot like Mass Effect 2 and 3, albeit without the RPG depth or breadth, replaced instead with claustrophobic linearity. It was still great, but not exemplary by any means. Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2 seem to have suffered the same fate, evaporating from the discourse as fast as they arrived for whatever reason.

While it's too early to say for sure if Fable is going to land as well as it seems it could, it does, to me, seem like something of a new dawn for Xbox. Playground Games are at the apex of the industry, but have often been unfairly overlooked due to their chosen genre. Racing games unfairly don't get the respect they deserve, but I think it's at least partially for subconscious reasons. The emotive experiences offered by The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption 2, Expedition 33, Final Fantasy, and so on, seem to be the types of experiences that players often connect with on a deeper level.

With Fable, it seems that Playground will showcase its adeptness at both types of experiences. The systems-heavy online gameplay of Forza Horizon 6, with the emotional character-led depth of a game like Fable — if it lands, Playground will solidify itself as one of the best studios in the world.

I think there's another story here though, as I outlined in my recent write up of Fable's January Xbox Developer_Direct reveal.

Microsoft has shed exclusivity for Xbox games, which has hurt the Xbox community and robbed the Xbox ecosystem of major hardware selling points. But in a post-Fortnite, post-Roblox world, exclusivity matters less and less to newer customers coming in. Younger cohorts in particular are flooded with content on every platform with the sorts of immediacy that traditional console holders can only dream of.

It's in this universe that I think "AA" just doesn't cut it anymore. When the most popular games in the world are hyper-memeable slop like "Catch a Brainrot" in Roblox or Fortnite with its Kim Kardashian skins, only the most exemplary experiences seem to have a chance to cut through the deluge of smaller, often "free" experiences on offer.

The era of the full price "AA" game seems to be well and truly over, where players really do expect a certain quality bar in exchange for their $70. Xbox Game Pass has probably accelerated this too, as it frees users of paying $70 for games that aren't quite on the same level as the stand outs, like Elden Ring and the like. It's also often the case that lower-priced games beat full-priced games for depth and quality, too.

To Microsoft's credit, it has continued letting developers experiment with smaller titles regardless. Keeper and Double Fine's upcoming game "Kiln" are great examples of this, as well as Obsidian's Pentiment. I've heard that Obsidian has other smaller projects on the way — as well as much more ambitious, complex ones too. Double Fine as well, I'm told, has a bigger project to follow up Kiln. InXile of Wasteland game also said that its upcoming game, Clockwork Revolution, is 10x more ambitious than anything it has done before.

But, now that Microsoft can leverage PlayStation's massive install base (and Nintendo's as well down the line), they can take on the kind of capital risk that big, AAA publishers often do as well — whether it's EA's Battlefield, CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6, or From Software's Elden Ring. These are projects that simply couldn't exist on the scale and game-of-the-year-grade quality bar without being multiplatform.

I've heard that Gears: E-Day, State of Decay 3, and the next mainline Halo should see similarly ambitious jumps in depth and breadth too. Owing to the fact that they can leverage PlayStation's audience and sales potential, Xbox can offset some of that upfront risk that PC and Xbox exclusivity artificially foists upon Microsoft's developers. It can grow the teams, invest in longer development cycles, and expect more ambitious sales targets as a result.

Where does that leave Xbox hardware?

Well, we know Xbox Series X|S sales have declined almost free-fall style since the pandemic. Thankfully, this hasn't prevented major publishers from continuing support for the Xbox ecosystem. In fact, Xbox's arch rival PlayStation brought Helldivers 2 and is bringing Marathon to Xbox this year, owing to Xbox's disproportionately passionate, spendy, and engaged audience.

The next Xbox will be a Windows PC as I've previously written, but it's still worth being concerned about. Is there a point where Xbox's ecosystem loses enough users to convince developers that it isn't worth it? We've not seen evidence of it so far, but it remains to be seen if features like Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere, and Xbox Cloud Gaming access represent enough of a selling point to beat PlayStation's exclusive games line-up. PlayStation's hardware sales have declined too, though ... despite having a strong exclusive line-up of games.

With competition from TikTok, YouTube, and so on, console platforms have found it more difficult than ever to find users looking for casual entertainment. Going multi-platform was inevitable in that universe, but on the plus side, it looks as though the games we'll get will hit a quality bar previously inaccessible to Xbox's game studios, as it taps into the global gaming audience, rather than its isolated green corner.

But what do you think? Let us know, down below.

Fable has finally been revealed in full, and it looks absolutely fantastic.

Fable is a classic Xbox action RPG franchise that defined the early years of the brand. The games were known for their reactivity, comical combat, and unapologetically British comedy.

"Playground Games is renowned for visually stunning and immersive open world experiences," the team noted. Playground Games expanded to a second team to undertake Fable, which follows the company's penchant for massive open worlds. Fable will have a huge, seamless open world, allowing players to travel anywhere from the get go.

Players will be able to customize the main character, with a range of pre-determined bodies, faces, alongside hair, skin, and tattoo customization. You can customize your playstyle heavily as well, across heavy melee combat with two-handed weapons, on top of stagger and finisher mechanics. You can use ranged weapons like bows and crossbows, and also weave them with magical attacks and spells.

In a blog post on Xbox Wire, Playground says that this is something of a reboot. "We’ve chosen not to be beholden to the timeline of the original games – the events, the characters – really just to allow ourselves the freedom to build our own Albion and tell our own, new story within it." Playground tried to free itself of trying to emulate the work of the past, telling itself, "Look, we’re not Lionhead – we can’t try to make a Lionhead game."

Fable also brings back many of the "simulation" elements from the previous games, including crafting, flirting with villages, having kids, getting married, buying houses (buying every house), getting divorced — Playground describes NPCs as the "living population," complete with personalities and daily routines. The characters will wake up, go to work, indulge in hobbies, go to sleep. You can hire them to work in businesses you own. They might rent houses from you. You can evict them. Everything you do affects how they perceive you, too.

If you buy tons of houses, they'll think of you as a rich arsehole, potentially. Kick chickens, and they'll see you as cruel. Help them, and they'll love you. "Your choices change the world," Playground says. If you kill a huge giant, the corpse will stay there for the rest of the game, negatively impacting house prices, and the local townsfolk will have diverse opinions on the impact you've had on the region as a result.

Playground Games revealed that Fable is targeting Autumn 2026, and will launch day one on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC. It'll hit Xbox Game Pass on day one, and also come with Xbox Play Anywhere for devices like the Xbox Ally.

Is this a new quality bar for Xbox?

From what we've seen so far, Fable looks incredibly impressive, and represents a marked step up in quality for a internal Xbox Games Studio title. Microsoft's own publishing house has typically targeted AA-grade games for story-driven experiences, using smaller teams at lower budgets. The bigger games have tended to be on the simulation side, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator or Forza Horizon 6 (which also looks fantastic). Fable shows that Microsoft is now putting the big money behind home-grown franchises too, raising the quality bar up to meet some of those AAA expectations.

I've heard we can expect a similar quality bar boost for games like Gears: E-Day and the next true Halo mainline title after the Halo Campaign Evolved remaster. Leveraging PlayStation's install base with multi-platform releases helps Microsoft target bigger scopes and absorb greater risks than it was previously able to in the Xbox / PC exclusivity era. I'm told the era of Microsoft doing game announcements far in advance of product completion is absolutely over. We shouldn't see games like Contraband, Perfect Dark, etc. announced before they're closer towards the finish line, to avoid the disappointment when projects don't work out.

Of course, execution is always key, and Microsoft hasn't always been particularly great at sticking the landing. But, Fable looks to be the first, of hopefully many, ready to break out of that cycle.

The end of 2025 has come and we've kicked off another new year once again, which naturally means we're back in January. And as January came again, so to did Microsoft's annual Xbox Developer Direct showcase — a tight, roughly 45-minute presentation in which developers gave fans a closer look at some of the new games coming to Xbox systems, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass in 2026.

Indeed, as opposed to the Xbox Games Showcase run every summer that focuses on titles scheduled for release in the coming years, the Xbox Developer Direct is instead centered around games that are set to launch in just a few months. This makes it uniquely exciting for players compared to other conferences.

This year's show included deep dives from Playground Games for its highly anticipated open-world racer Forza Horizon 6 and its long-awaited reboot of the classic RPG series Fable, along with a closer look at the action RPG Beast of Reincarnation from Pokémon developer Game Freak. Beyond that, a secret fourth game was shown at the presentation, too...

We've previously covered how to watch 2026's Xbox Developer Direct, but in the event that you couldn't catch the show live yourself and want a recap, this article is for you. Below, you'll find a complete overview of the showcase.

Forza Horizon 6

Microsoft opened the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 show with a deep look at Forza Horizon 6, detailing several of the game's systems while also showing off its meticulously crafted rendition of Japan.

Developer Playground Games explained that the game's primary campaign is focused around the feeling of going on a journey, with you starting as a tourist to Japan that has to earn their place in the Horizon Festival by completing qualifiers, overcoming obstacle course challenges in Horizon Rush events, and unlocking wristbands. Earning your gold wristband will then unlock a special "Legend" island with exclusive locations to explore.

The rest of the Japan is fully explorable from the get-go, with Playground focusing on delivering a balance of "rural and urban, modern and traditional" areas that represent the country's rich history and culture. It's the largest Forza Horizon map ever, with tons of verticality, biome variety, and significant seasonal changes.

The developers traveled to Japan to capture reference, studying weather patterns, getting photogrammetry of its landscapes, scanning roads and buildings, and even recording the country's natural soundscapes before working to bring all of it in-game authentically. Tokyo itself is said to be five times larger than any city featured in Forza before.

But what about the cars themselves? Playground says there will be over 550 at launch, with deeper customization and better performance balance than previous titles. Many cars will be found and made purchasable as you find them around the map, and there will also be customizable garages at player houses too.

One unique feature will be The Estate, a large plot of land that's overgrown and empty when first unlocked, but can be gradually upgraded as you play into your own high-class property. Notably, the devs also say Forza Horizon 6 is carrying forward all previous accessibility features while implementing new ones, and say you'll be able to build custom tracks anywhere on the map and do it with friends if you want.

The Forza Horizon 6 showcase closed with the confirmation that it's launching on May 19, 2026 on Xbox systems and PC, with the game set to come to PlayStation at a later date.

Beast of Reincarnation

Game Freak's upcoming action RPG Beast of Reincarnation was next up at the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 show, with the Pokémon developer's next game getting an extensive gameplay showcase as well.

The game is set in post-apocalyptic Japan 2,000 years in the future, in a world "consumed by a blight," and with gameplay "described as a one-person one-dog action RPG." It follows protagonist Emma and her wolf-like companion Koo as they journey through the dark and lonely setting, with Emma's "vine-like" hair giving her some unique abilities that help her traverse the ruins of human civilization.

Along the way, the pair will encounter "malefacts," which are creatures fused with other animals and the plants causing the blight that ended the world. As Emma and Koo defeat them, Emma will seal away their blight within her body, as she has special powers. Deadly malefacts called Nushi threaten the Capital, a last bastion of human civilization; Emma and Koo are tasked with thwarting them, with their final target being an especially dangerous Beast of Reincarnation.

There are also golems, which are a faction of mechanical enemies humans transferred their souls into in an effort to survive the blight hundreds of years ago. Their souls have deteriorated, however, causing the golems to ultimately become hostile.

Both Emma and Koo possess blight-based powers, and bounce off one another in interesting ways. As Emma parries attacks, for example, Koo will power up until she can unleash a powerful Blooming Art that deals major damage to all nearby foes; this then gives Emma some different follow-up options of her own. As you progress, you'll get access to various new skills that build on this teamwork-driven gameplay flow, with numerous different options for customizing your build through gear and other unlocks as well.

Notably, at the end of the presentation, it was announced that it's coming out on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation in Summer 2026, and that the game will also be playable through Xbox Game Pass; this is quite notable, given that Beast of Reincarnation is a third-party title.

Kiln

Surprise! The Xbox Developer Direct 2026's fourth hidden game is Kiln, a new multiplayer party brawler from Keeper and Psychonauts developer Double Fine Productions that grew from a game jam concept formed way back in 2017.

It tasks you with creating your own unique piece of pottery, and then using it to battle other players across a variety of different maps, with the ultimate goal being to carry water to the other team's kiln and put out its fires while protecting your own.

On the creation side of things, Kiln allows you to design your pottery with a wide variety of different shape types and decorative adornments, ensuring that your cups, mugs, pots, vases, feel uniquely yours. But then in the thick of the action, each of those shapes feature distinct strengths, weaknesses, and abilities to learn and master, along with bespoke animations.

Notably, the maps have nearly as much diversity and personality as the pottery itself, with some featuring special pathways you can only access with certain pottery types, unique elements that shake up the gameplay experience like sponges you can swell with water to block routes, and more. Overall, the stages seem to have an Ancient Mythology focus — fitting, considering how prominent clay pottery was in early human history.

Kiln is coming to Xbox, PC, and PlayStation in Spring 2026, with Double Fine promising regular updates, new activities and modes, and more. A Closed Beta is coming soon as well, and will give some a chance to play Double Fine's latest early.

Fable

Microsoft closed 2026's Xbox Developer Direct with an in-depth look at Playground Games' other upcoming game, the Fable reboot. The studio explained that the core focus of the RPG is "what does it mean to be a hero?" and figuring out what kind of hero — and in general, what kind of person — you want to be.

This is reflected in the ability to make a highly customizable character, fight enemies with a combination of melee, ranged, and magic options, and even to play a "game within a game" life simulation experience in which you can learn and master craftsmanship trades, romance and marry NPCs, start families, buy up houses and businesses, and more.

This type of slice-of-life gameplay was a huge part of the original Fable games, so Playground felt it was important to include and elevate it in this reboot of the series.

Notably, the world of Albion will be highly and deeply reactive to all of the different choices you make, with your reputation with others rising or falling depending on what you say to them and how your actions impact their lives. Major story decisions like, say, killing a giant will leave his corpse near a town's land for the rest of the game, reducing property value and annoying its citizens.

At the end of its Fable segment, Playground Games revealed that Fable is scheduled to launch later this year in Fall 2026 on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation.

FAQ

Xbox has revealed new details about what to expect from its upcoming Developer Direct, set to air on January 22, 2026, at 1 PM ET. In a new blog post on Xbox Wire, the company outlined the focus of the show, leaving little room for major surprises.

Viewers can expect deeper looks at Fable and Forza Horizon 6, alongside an unexpected appearance from Game Freak, which is developing Beast of Reincarnation.

Besides Fable, Xbox is placing clear emphasis on deeper dives for Forza Horizon 6, acknowledging that fans have been waiting a long time to see more from each project.

What to expect on January 22

With Fable having spent years in development, this Developer Direct is seemingly positioned so that Playground Games finally shows what it has been building, while reassuring fans that the series’ familiar tone and identity remain intact and reaffirming its release window for this year.

For Forza Horizon 6, Xbox is also promising a more substantial look following what many felt was an underwhelming reveal at the Tokyo Game Show in 2025, due to it only being a minute-long reveal that had leaked prior to the showcase. This time, fans can expect a clearer showcase of gameplay and a better sense of how Japan serves as the game’s long-requested setting.

Alongside the two Playground Games titles, Xbox will also deliver an in-depth introduction to Beast of Reincarnation from Game Freak, which was revealed at the Xbox June showcase in 2025. The project stands out as a more modern and ambitious showcase for the studio, highlighting its ability to step beyond its Pokémon roots, a franchise that has seen controversy over its graphics, though I sit on the side of fun over graphics, it is nice to see Game Freak spread their wings here.

Any other surprises?

Whether there is more revealed at the showcase remains to be seen, so you'll have to tune in at the right time to find out. Xbox has offered no hints of any potential surprise announcements, although doing so would undermine the idea of a surprise in the first place.

While I would have liked to see more from Halo, it is hard to argue that Fable and Forza Horizon 6 do not deserve the spotlight. Regardless of whether anything else is shown, with this marking Xbox’s 25th anniversary year, 2026 is already shaping up to be a strong one, and you can read more about what to expect here.

What are you most excited to see from Xbox’s next Developer Direct? Let us by taking part in our poll below or leaving us a comment!

I've actually met Phil Spencer in person, and even shared a few drinks... But I must have made a bad impression, because I'm convinced he has a personal grudge against me.

The evidence is clear — Xbox as a whole must despise me, because the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 was missing some of the games I so desperately wanted to see during the event.

Obviously, that's a joke (although I'm stating the obvious because some internet-bound folks take everything too seriously), but there were some Xbox and Windows PC projects that we didn't see during the show that I wish we had.

While we're here, I may as well rant a little.

Honorable mention — Hollow Knight: Silksong

Allow me to declare a truth that will undeservedly earn me the ire of those piled too high on the metaphorical hype train — I have absolutely zero interest in Hollow Knight: Silksong.

I'd fight the sun before claiming that I care about one of the most anticipated upcoming games in years... and I'd have to play the first Hollow Knight to do that, so it's simply not happening.

That being said, I do have to give an honorable mention to what I'm fairly confident is the greatest video games troll of the decade. Hollow Knight: Silksong deftly evades every event that draws even a modicum of attention from Hollow Knight fans, to the point where it has become a running joke.

Silksong was mentioned during Summer Game Fest just to fuel the fire and troll even more at the Xbox Games Showcase, where it was a part of the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally gaming handheld announcement. Alas, there was no trailer in sight, much to the disappointment of at least three people, but we did randomly get some news after the events.

5. Everwild

Between the prolonged periods of absence and the rumors of a complicated development, I honestly can't tell you with any degree of confidence what Everwild is. It's so intangible, our Everwild guide hasn't been touched in years.

What I can say is that Sea of Thieves, being the narrative-light live service game that it is, has never won me over. I've wanted to see more out of Rare for a very long time, given its storied history as a legendary studio, and Everwild is supposed to be exactly that.

It was announced in 2019, back when Xbox's shallower pool of first-party studios encouraged it to tease games years ahead of time. I wouldn't be nearly as passionate about the game if it only existed as a rumor, but we know Everwild is in the process of being created — we just don't know anything about it.

Is Everwild truly still years away from release? I'm not sure, but I would've loved an update during the Xbox Games Showcase, at least to realign our expectations and give us a fresh perspective on the kind of game Everwild is aiming to be.

4. Fable

I normally detest the way such varied genres are lumped together as the "Sports & Racing" category, but in this case it's apt: I typically don't enjoy sports and racing games.

Forza Horizon is the absolute exception, and the sheer quality of the franchise has led Playground Games to become one of my most beloved and trusted studios. That makes it all the more exciting that Xbox chose Playground — a team traditionally dedicated to open-world racing games — to take on a new challenge: take a legendary RPG franchise and revitalize it for modern platforms and audiences.

Yes, Playground Games is in charge of the end-to-end reboot of Fable, and every snippet and all-too-brief trailer I've seen of this studio's debut in an all-new genre has furthered my excitement.

I understand that the Fable reboot was recently delayed, so I'm not altogether too shocked that it didn't make an appearance during the Xbox Games Showcase, but that doesn't quite halt my disappointment. This game has been on my most-anticipated list since its announcement, and I want to see more of it.

Phil Spencer did, at least, tease that we should be playing Fable in 2026, mind.

3. REPLACED

Perhaps not so surprisingly, REPLACED is the only game on this list that doesn't hail from a member of the Xbox Game Studios.

Well, I am an avid fan of Xbox, but it'd be ridiculous to presume all of my most anticipated titles originated from the first-party publisher — even on this list of games I specifically wanted to see during the Xbox Games Showcase, REPLACED made the list.

REPLACED may be a "pixel art" game, but it's also one of the most breathtakingly beautiful games I've ever laid eyes on. Correction: one of the most beautiful games with which I've gone hands-on, as I've actually played a tiny portion of REPLACED.

Something about this game in particular makes me drool in anticipation, and it's confirmed day one addition to Xbox Game Pass (and its subsequent partnership with Xbox) makes it an obvious addition to this list. I need to play this game.

2. Forza Horizon 6

Forza Horizon 5, which I had the privilege of reviewing for Windows Central, is still one of my highest-rated video games of all time. That doesn't necessarily mean it's one of my all-time favorite games, but it's certainly up there.

With Forza Horizon 5 dialing down its live service updates alongside its momentous launch on PlayStation, it makes complete sense that I'd be attentive to the inevitable announcement of Forza Horizon 6. Alas, Playground ducked me again.

Never mind the rumors that FH6 may finally take the open-world racing series to Japan, I'm mostly excited to see what Playground Games can accomplish with the technically impressive, upgraded ForzaTech engine Turn 10 Studios showcased with Forza Motorsport (2023)... Which I also reviewed.

Forza Horizon 6 is almost guaranteed to be one of the most visually impressive games of the decade, but I'm also simply excited to embark on another wild, free-roam adventure behind the wheel of whatever car I fancy at the moment.

I know we may see Forza Horizon 6 officially revealed next year, but I would've loved at least a teaser during the Xbox Games Showcase.

1. State of Decay 3

Finally, we have the game that makes me froth at the maw (I wasn't bitten, I promise), and the next project from Undead Labs. State of Decay 2 is one of my favorite co-op games of all time, and I've been eagerly awaiting every scrap of news on its sequel.

Well, we finally got something on State of Decay 3 last year, but it seems this game is still trapped well in the future. Undead Labs didn't make an appearance during the latest Xbox Games Showcase, nor did we even get a teaser.

With State of Decay 2 officially done receiving updates (and it kept getting new content for far longer than I think anyone expected), my hunger for the next zombie-infested adventure has only deepened.

State of Decay 3 looks like it'll dramatically expand on the Undead Labs formula, with a significantly more ambitious scope that could make it one of the best Xbox games ever.

I just hope that I get to play this game before I actually become a zombie. That being said, I also want Undead Labs to take its time to make this game as amazing as I know it can be.

Microsoft's first party studios have begun hitting their stride finally, with Xbox launching game after game to widespread acclaim. Indiana Jones launched late last year, delivering the most authentic video game recreation of the franchise to date.

Also, Xbox's most recent title, Avowed, garnered positive reception from critics and fans alike, and Microsoft has sure-fire hits like DOOM: The Dark Ages in the hopper for later this year as well. Gears: E-Day, Ninja Gaiden 4, and Blade as well all paint a strong future for Xbox Game Pass in the long and near term. One of the most major anticipated upcoming Xbox games has been delayed, though.

We've been investigating rumors that upcoming action-RPG "Fable" from Playground Games of Forza Horizon fame has been delayed. Today, Microsoft confirmed that information to be true.

Speaking on the official Xbox Podcast, Xbox Game Studios lead Craig Duncan revealed that Fable has been delayed from its planned launch window of 2025, out to 2026.

Responding to Xbox's Tina Amini, Duncan described where Playground currently is with Fable progress. "We're really excited about [Fable's] progress and where Playground Games are. We previously announced Fable as 2025. We are actually going to give Fable more time. It's going to ship in 2026 now. While I know that's not maybe the news people want to hear, what I want is to assure people that it's definitely worth the wait."

Duncan lauded Playground Games' pedigree, noting the quality of Forza Horizon and the quality bar the studio sets for itself. Duncan described Fable as having "amazing gameplay" in the most "realized" incarnation of the world of Albion yet. The podcast video also featured some new footage of Fable too, offering a glimpse at the latest build. And oh boy, it sure looks immaculate. Definitely check that out (and it features the werewolf I previously teased on my Xbox Two Podcast a few weeks ago).

Not entirely unexpected

It's not entirely unexpected that Fable got delayed. The game is among the most expensive and most ambitious being developed internally at Xbox Game Studios right now. Playground hired in major talent from studios like Rockstar and CD Projekt RED to truly deliver a "AAA" RPG experience, which is something that has arguably eluded Microsoft since the Xbox 360 days, at least with regards to story-based character-driven games. Perhaps there's also the Grand Theft Auto 6 aspect. GTA 6 is supposed to launch later in 2025, and I suspect virtually every other AAA game in existence will want to avoid that launch window.

It's great to see the transparency either way, and hopefully we'll see Fable emerge as a true landmark moment for Xbox's first-party output. I do wonder what Xbox's ecosystem will look like as we head towards 2026, though.

Indeed, a lot of the discourse around Xbox of late has revolved around how committed, or uncommitted, Xbox is to the future of its own hardware ecosystem. Xbox's Tina Amini put the question to Craig Duncan himself during the podcast, and he offered a bit of a coy response.

Tina Amini asked Craig Duncan, "What should the Xbox community take away from the decision we've made to put games on more platforms?"

"I think it's good for gamers, good for our studios," Craig says. "Our studios make amazing games, we want our games to reach the broadest audience possible. If I think back to when I was studio head of Sea of Thieves, having Sea of Thieves on multiple platforms helps players play together. I think it's good for gamers, it's good for our studios to reach more players."

With respect to Craig Duncan, he didn't really answer Tina Amini's question about what the Xbox community should take away from it. It was a bit of an odd segment, where both parties avoided mentioning "PlayStation," and simply referred to "more platforms" instead.

Microsoft's messaging on the so-called "Latitude" Xbox strategy has generally been awful so far, with little effort made to convince Xbox fans that Microsoft's internal hardware efforts aren't gradually slipping by the wayside. Xbox hardware has declined almost quarterly for a couple of years now, with very little effort made towards marketing or promoting Microsoft as a hardware vendor.

RELATED: I don't play on Xbox for any single exclusive game, but for exclusive features

The Xbox community is fairly evenly split on the damage this could do to the desirability of Xbox hardware, which could lead to a departure of third-party developers down the line. There's little evidence of that happening today, but it's not difficult to extrapolate what might happen afterwards.

Either way, Microsoft is forging ahead with first-party Xbox console hardware, with Xbox lead Phil Spencer saying he wants hardware to win on "differentiation." With more money than ever subsidizing Xbox thanks to its support of PlayStation, perhaps there's a real chance the next Xbox platform could have some kind of "X factor" (lol) that will see it reach new audiences. If Fable does land as well as Microsoft hopes, perhaps it will lead to a bump in Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S sales too in 2026.

On the show, Craig Duncan also discussed Expedition 33, DOOM: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and other upcoming goodies Xbox fans do have to look forward to in the near term. Definitely check it out.

What you need to know

• Following the announcement of his new game Masters of Albion during Gamescom 2024's Opening Night Live show, Peter Molyneux has been asked if it's a Fable game and if it's in the same universe.
• In an interview that appeared in Video Games Chronicle, Molyneux asserted that Masters of Albion shares a universe with Fable, but isn't a Fable game.
• Molyneux co-founded Fable's original developer Lionhead Studios, but left the studio in 2012 a few years before Microsoft shuttered it in 2016. Fable is still a Microsoft property, and a Fable reboot coming out in 2025 is in development at Playground Games. It will be a first-party Xbox and Windows PC exclusive.
• Molyneux claims that because Albion is a historical term for Great Britain, it can't be copyrighted. However, he's ultimately unsure if that reasoning will hold up in a legal dispute.

One of the biggest surprises from the Gamescom 2024 Opening Night Live show was the reveal of Masters of Albion — a new "god game" in which you wield ancient powers from the skies to develop and protect a growing society in a fantasy world. It's coming from a team of ex-Fable developers led by Peter Molyneux, who co-founded Fable's original developer Lionhead Studios and served as the lead designer on its three mainline Fable RPG titles released prior to his departure in 2012 and Microsoft's subsequent closure of the studio in 2016. He went on to create 22cans, which is the developer that's now building Masters of Albion.

Masters of Albion looks to be an evolution of what Molyneux and Lionhead created with its popular Black & White god game series, though the fact it's set in the world of Albion has many raising eyebrows. Albion is the name of Fable's setting, after all, and Fable is still a Microsoft property; in fact, under the Xbox Game Studios banner, Playground Games is building a Fable reboot that's scheduled to launch in 2025 as an Xbox and PC exclusive. So is Masters of Albion a Fable game? And if so, how does the legality of that work?

These questions were posed to Molyneux in an interview that appeared in Video Games Chronicle, and his answers are pretty interesting. Ultimately, he argues that you can't copyright Albion because it's a widely acknowledged historical term for Great Britain. He also asserts that Masters of Albion is indeed set in Fable's "familiar, vast" world.

"[It’s] like saying if you set a game in America, you can’t set any other game in America,” he explained in the interview. “So Albion can’t be copyrighted. It’s the name for England and Wales and that’s how we get away with it."

“Fable was set in Albion, Masters of Albion is set in Albion,” Molyneux continued, clarifying that his new game shares a setting with Fable.

This sounds like a fairly solid argument to me, though I'm obviously not a legal expert. Evidently, neither is Molyneux, made apparent by his admission that he's not sure if his logic would actually hold up in a courtroom. 

"I don’t know if I’m honest, I don’t really know… I hope so," he said. "I mean you would think that the responsible person I should be, I would’ve spent the last six months in lawyers’ offices…"

One thing that's clear, though, is that while 22cans says Masters of Albion is set in the same universe as Fable, it is in no way being considered a Fable game by the studio.

"It’s not actually Fable 5 or anything like that, but if you’ve played Fable, then definitely Masters of Albion will be familiar to you. One of the things that we have got and we absolutely wanted a nail was the humor," he noted. "I think in the Fable games, it’s not so much about telling jokes, it’s more about giving you, the player, the ability to do ridiculous and funny things. And we’ve got that in Masters of Albion in absolute spades. I think we’re really nailing that."

• DEAL: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3-month pre-paid cards are just $31.19 at CDKeys, giving you three months for the price of two before the price increase to $19.99 a month

The trailer for Masters of Albion showed off how you can feed your peasants rat meat pie and equip them with swords made out of bread loaves, so I don't doubt Molyneux on that front. Still, with the upcoming Fable reboot positioned as one of Microsoft's biggest and most important Xbox exclusives (and one of the biggest new games headed to Xbox Game Pass), I'm curious to see if the company will challenge 22cans' use of Albion. Only time will tell.

As for Masters of Albion's release date, it's unclear right now, though it is available to wishlist on Steam. Whether it's coming to Xbox, PlayStation, and other platforms as well as Windows PC is also unknown at the moment, though Molyneux's mention that he needed to "come home to PC and console" when introducing the game suggests there's a good chance it is.

🎒The best Back to School deals📝

• 🕹️Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) | $32.39 at CDKeys (Save $18!)
• 💻Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (Core Ultra 7) | $679.99 at Best Buy (Save $370!)
• 🎧Sony WH1000XM5 ANC Headphones | $299.99 at Best Buy (Save $100!)
• 💻HP Victus 15.6 Laptop (RTX 4050) | $599 at Walmart (Save $380!)
• 📺Amazon Fire TV Xbox Game Pass bundle | $82.85 at Amazon (Save $37!)
• 💻Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon | $1,481.48 at Lenovo (Save $1,368!)
• 🎧Bose QuietComfort ANC Headphones| $249.00 at Best Buy (Save $100!)
• 💻HP OmniBook X 14 (X Elite) | $899.99 at Best Buy (Save $300!)
• 📺TCL Class Q6 4K QLED TV (55-inches) | $319.99 at Target (Save $130!)
• 🎮 Seagate Xbox Series X|S Card (2TB) | $249.99 at Best Buy (Save $110!)
• 💻Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (Core Ultra 7) | $799.99 at Dell (Save $200!)
• 🕹️Hi-Fi RUSH (PC, Steam) | $9.39 at CDKeys (Save $21!)
• 📺Dell UltraSharp 4K 32 Monitor | $899.99 at Dell (Save $300!)
• 🖱️Razer Basilisk V3 Wired Mouse | $48.99 at Best Buy (Save $21!)
• 🖥️Lenovo ThinkStation P3 (Core i5 vPro) | $879.00 at Lenovo (Save $880!)

What you need to know

• Playground Games is the studio behind the massively popular Forza Horizon franchise. 
• Playground Games expanded by opening a second studio in 2017, before then being acquired by Microsoft in 2018.
• Playground Games is also working on a new Fable game, which is slated to arrive at some point in 2025.
• According to an update on Playground Games' LinkedIn page, the team has expanded to three studios.

The teams behind some of the biggest Xbox games are getting even bigger. 

Playground Games now encompasses three studios, as seen on the company's LinkedIn page. This third studio is apparently assisting with the development of Fable, the upcoming reboot of the classic light-hearted Xbox role-playing game series. 

"Today, Playground has three world-class studios in Leamington Spa," the company description reads. "In our original HQ, we continue to support and grow the huge, vibrant Horizon community. In our new studios on the other side of town, we are excited to be developing Fable, a new beginning for the legendary franchise."

We've reached out to Microsoft for comment.

Playground Games has grown into an Xbox powerhouse

Playground Games first opened in 2010, with the studio collaborating with Microsoft and Turn 10 on Forza Horizon, an open-world spinoff of the Forza Motorsport franchise. Critically acclaimed and commercially successful, Forza Horizon prompted multiple sequels, with Playground Games expanding with a second studio in 2017 before being acquired by Microsoft in 2018. The team's latest game, Forza Horizon 5, passed 40 million players earlier in the year.

While Forza Horizon 5 continues to be supported, much of Playground Games' focus is on the upcoming Fable, a reboot of sorts that brings players back to the whimsical, legendary world of Albion, with longtime Deus Ex developer Eidos Montreal is providing support on the project. A new trailer during the Xbox showcase earlier in the year teased some of the action and characters that players can expect to encounter.

Fable is currently slated to arrive at some point in 2025 across Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC. Like all Xbox first-party games, it'll be available day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Analysis: Good to see additional investment

The last year has been brutal for the gaming industry, and the teams at Xbox are no exceptions, with cuts that saw the closure of three Bethesda studios and layoffs at Activision Blizzard King. 

Even so, I'm happy to see there are teams that can expand and grow. Playground Games has done an amazing job with Forza Horizon, reaching new heights with every new entry as the games continue to garner more players and more critical praise. With two studios apparently working on reviving the iconic Xbox RPG, I have complete faith Playground can do similar great work with Fable. It's one of my most-anticipated games of next year alongside other titles like DOOM: The Dark Ages. 

As a reminder, Forza Horizon 4 is reaching end-of-life status later this year, but you still have a few months to buy it and keep it forever, even after it's pulled from online stores.

Role-playing games tend to be some of the most wildly ambitious, technically impressive, absurdly in-depth, and ridiculously addictive titles you can play, giving plenty of great reasons for the genre's popularity. There are always enterprising developers seeking to bring something unique to the category, and it seems RPG fans are never short of a new gem to immerse themselves in.

Following the conclusion of the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, that has honestly never felt more true. I already have over a dozen critically-acclaimed RPGs in my backlog (on top of the many RPGs I've already completed), but a lot more are about to join the list. The latest flagship Xbox event may have been packed with well over two dozen games, but a third of those titles can be categorized under the RPG label. It was a mighty meal for the role-playing gamers, but it's also what I've come to expect from Xbox.

Whether you're simply looking for new RPGs to catch your fantasy or you're curious why RPGs feel so at home on Xbox, we have a lot to discuss.

• Check out our LIVE Xbox Games Showcase 2024 coverage

Filling a show with upcoming RPG gems

During the biggest Xbox show of the year, the gaming platform showed off a combined 30 video games from all different genres, publishers, studios, and more. 17 came from Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, and Activision Blizzard, 18 are coming to Xbox Game Pass day and date, and all are arriving on Windows PC. No matter how you slice it, the Xbox Games Showcase featured an impressive lineup that promises great things for Xbox's future.

However, I count up to 11 of those 30 games as RPGs (I say "up to," because the definition of what makes an RPG changes from person to person). Some are upcoming first-party Xbox games, others are updates to existing RPGs, and more still are brand-new announcements we've never seen before. It's an eclectic variety of tantalizing games that helped make this showcase so memorable, and I find it genuinely fascinating to analyze.

You have your more traditional RPGs like Avowed, Fable, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, action-RPGs like Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, massive multiplayer online RPGs like World of Warcraft and The Elder Scrolls Online, updates to existing RPGs like Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, Starfield: Shattered Space, and Fallout 76: Skyline Valley, and even turn-based RPGs like the newly revealed Expedition 33. You could also make an argument that Assassin's Creed Shadows counts as well, since it seems to draw on RPG elements and mechanics like some other recent AC entries.

That's a lot of games that let you customize and grow a character, insert yourself into a vibrant universe, and have an impact on an expansive, dynamic world. It's even more impressive when you consider that all of these games were squeezed into the same two-hour show that millions have watched. Will all of these games have the same effect on the industry or compare directly to legendary releases like Baldur's Gate 3 or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? Not likely, but every single one looked incredible in their own right.

For me, Avowed, Fable, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and both the Diablo IV and Starfield expansions are all must-plays for me. No matter that I still need to play Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, all three original Dragon Age games, and Fable 2 and 3 (I have a lot of games to play, I know). Ultimately, though, the Xbox Games Showcase was exactly what it says in the title: a showcase of Xbox games.

Amassing RPG legends under one roof

The Xbox family is now comprised of three main groups: Xbox Game Studios, ZeniMax Media, and Activision Blizzard. All three branches bring more RPG magic to the Xbox ecosystem, and there's a ton of legacy here. Under XGS you have studios like Obsidian Entertainment (known for The Outer Worlds, Pillars of Eternity, Fallout: New Vegas, and Avowed), inXile Entertainment (known for Wasteland and Clockwork Revolution), and even Playground Games, which is going beyond its limitations to breathe fresh life into the dormant Fable franchise.

At ZeniMax, you have Bethesda Game Studios (known for Fallout and The Elder Scrolls) and ZeniMax Online Studios (known for The Elder Scrolls Online). Now, Activision Blizzard also rests under the Xbox roof, adding RPG legends Blizzard Entertainment to the mix with World of Warcraft, Diablo, and plenty of other dormant series. That's a lot of RPG talent congregating in one ecosystem. When you consider the sheer number of RPG-centric teams working at Xbox, it's no wonder that the company's shows so often prominently feature role-playing games.

As far as third-party support is concerned, Xbox rarely misses a big RPG launch and is even making up for its previous weaknesses regarding Japanese or Japanese-inspired role-playing games. Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Bandai Namco, Capcom, and many other publishers consistently support the Xbox platforms, while legendary RPG franchises like Final Fantasy, Octopath Traveler, Tales of, Yakuza, Persona, and Mana are slowly becoming more common on Xbox. Combined with backward compatibility all the way back to the original Xbox days giving you access to original Knights of the Old Republic, Fable, Dragon Age, and more classic RPGs, and it's clear why Xbox is one of the best places for RPG fans.

One of the best ways to enjoy the RPG genre

I love role-playing games. I love immersing myself in a big, fantastical world filled with an impossible level of detail. I love carving my own path, taking my time to explore every nook and cranny, and helping every person I come across. I love building in power, taking on increasingly challenging foes until the inevitable climax. RPGs are some of the most "gamey" video games, and they hold a special place in my heart.

At the beginning of 2024, I even aspired to complete one RPG every month for the entire year. I had to gently adjust my ambitions, however, once I was reminded how incredibly long many RPGs tend to be. Still, as I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of RPGs I haven't yet played that I plan to finish in 2024, like Dragon Age: Origins (and the following two Dragon Age games, if I can), Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, Fable 2 and 3, and Cyberpunk 2077.

I can also play all of these games on my Xbox Series X, and many of the RPGs I've enjoyed in the past or are currently in my backlog are also included in the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. That's without even considering the huge number of RPGs Xbox showed off at its latest event, many of which are also landing on Game Pass on day one. Even when it comes to games that are still missing on Xbox, like Final Fantasy XVI, I truly believe it's not outside the realm of possibility to see that change in the future.

Seriously, how many of the best Xbox games are RPGs? A lot, and I suspect that list is about to grow even larger. The Xbox Games Showcase gave us a glimpse at plenty of exciting, interesting, and unique role-playing experiences coming to Xbox, Windows PC, and Game Pass, and I'm very excited to be able to play some of them.

What you need to know 

• Today at the Xbox Games Showcase, Playground Games revealed a new trailer for its reboot of the legendary ARPG series Fable.
• First announced back in 2020, the trailer has confirmed that the Fable reboot now has a 2025 release window.
• The Fable games were first made in the 2000s and early 2010s, but the series went on hiatus after developer Lionhead Studios was closed by Microsoft in 2016.

The tease of the long-awaited Fable reboot at last year's showcase was undoubtedly a huge highlight of that show, and thankfully, Microsoft has bestowed us with another great trailer for Playground Games' title at Xbox Games Showcase 2024. It's embedded below, though you can also watch the trailer through this link.

The trailer doesn't reveal any gameplay, though it does give fans a close look at the game's charming story and characters. The cinematics on display in it are also gorgeous, and do much to show off the colorful, vibrant, and magical world of Albion. The highlight of the trailer, though, is that it's finally unveiled an official release window for the reboot: 2025.

Fable is a beloved franchise that's been around for over 20 years now, with games released as far back as 2001. The games from the 2000s and early 2010s were developed by Lionhead Studios, though the series went on hiatus after Microsoft closed that studio down in 2016. Now, though, Fable is back in a big way, with Playground Games — the team behind Forza Horizon 5 and other Forza Horizon games — at the helm.

I've never actually played a Fable game, but I've always heard great things about the series, and as a lover of fantasy ARPGs, I'll definitely be checking it out when it launches next year. Notably, the trailer highlights that the reboot is coming to both Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC via Steam. Like all Xbox console exclusives, it will also release day one on Xbox Game Pass.

The fate of E3 remains uncertain, but that hasn't stopped the entire video games industry from coming together in June to celebrate the medium so many of us love. From Summer Game Fest to the Xbox Games Showcase Extended, audiences were treated to dozens of worthwhile updates and captivating new reveals. The energy shared by enthusiasts and professionals is impossible to ignore, and the associated media blitz shines an amplifying light on video game creation.   

Now that we're on the other side of this exhilarating and exhausting gaming gauntlet, we've spent time reflecting on our favorite moments. As a PC and Xbox-centric outlet, starting with the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 seemed only fitting. Championing one game in an event packed with heaps of outstanding games is immensely difficult, but that's precisely what we've done. After some grueling deliberation and hard-fought decisions, here are our team's picks for the 'Best in Show' at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023.  

Best Space Game - Starfield

Starfield is in a category of its own 🚀

Honestly, my game of the show was Starfield, but I feel like Starfield is in its own category. The culmination of decades of dreams from Todd Howard and his team over the aptly-nicknamed "space game," Starfield looks set to take the Creation Engine sandbox RPG to an entirely new level. Absolutely unprecedented scope and scale, with a truly absurd number of interweaving systems, gives Starfield some dizzying potential if Bethesda can stick the landing.  

I mentioned Starfield as being in a category of its own because it's almost unfair to compare it to other titles, at least for me, given how enormous and experienced Bethesda has become over the years. Beyond Starfield, my biggest surprise was Clockwork Revolution. I've been a huge InXile fan since Wasteland 2, specifically. The studio's uniquely dark humor and meticulous world-building skills make for immersive experiences unlike any other for me. Still, they've always skirted that "AA" line, whatever that means.  

Clockwork Revolution looks like a, well, revolution for InXile. Significant budget production values, and hyperviolent combat, while still retaining the RPG traditions the studio is known for makes this steampunk shooter one of my most anticipated games. - Jez Corden, Managing Editor

Best Presentation - South of Midnight

South of Midnight was the best reveal

My first introduction to Compulsion Games was at IndieCade 2013, where I played a brief demo of the puzzle platformer Contrast. The team's commitments to unconventional art direction and intriguing gameplay mechanics were immediately apparent. I distinctly remember walking away from their booth, fascinated by the ideas in Contrast and impressed by the potential of the Montreal-based developer.   

Fast-forward 10 years later, and this once budding independent studio is now an invaluable asset to Xbox Game Studios that managed to deliver my favorite reveal at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 with South of Midnight. This gorgeous third-person action title exudes style and an enigmatic personality. The debut trailer painted a haunting picture of a video game world, unlike anything we've seen before.   

The stunning stop-motion animation inspired by iconic films like Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas adds a mesmerizing allure to South of Midnight. We've only gotten a small taste of what's in store for the upcoming project from Compulsion Games, but I can't wait to get my hands on it. - Miles Dompier, Contributor

While practically everything first-party in the show is interesting, the standout from the Xbox Games Showcase that I can't stop thinking about was Compulsion Games' South of Midnight.  

The art style and animation are instantly gripping, looking more like something from Guillermo Del Toro than a game. As a Southerner, I grew up with stories of the Deep South, the unique take on American Gothic and eerie urban legends born in the swamps and forests teeming with alligators and ill-fated love.  

If Compulsion Games can tell a unique story that does this rich heritage justice, they'll have something extraordinary on their hands. Plus, the design for protagonist Hazel is just awesome. - Samuel Tolbert, Contributor

Best Licensed Debut - Star Wars Outlaws

Star Wars Outlaws is a return to form 🤲

As excited as I was to see more trailers for some of the biggest Xbox exclusives at the Xbox Games Showcase, including Avowed, Starfield, Fable, and Hellblade 2, the reveal that got me most interested was Star Wars Outlaws. In many ways, this game looks like a return to form to the LucasArts (now Lucasfilm Games) Star Wars adventures of the 90s and early 2000s starring Kyle Katarn.  

Summers in my teenage years were spent exploring the galaxy as the now non-canon scoundrel-turned-Jedi who rubbed shoulders with the likes of Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian while wielding both a blaster and a lightsaber to fight imperialist forces. Outlaws' protagonist, Kay Vess, seems to have the same roguish attitude that I crave while playing in a galaxy far, far away. The combat scenes we've witnessed so far look polished with the perfect amount of gritty atmosphere. I can't wait to play it. - Rebecca Spear, Gaming Editor

Best RPG - Avowed

 Avowed: An excellent open-world fantasy RPG

While I could gush about Starfield like everyone else on the internet is doing right now (there's no way it's not going to be incredible, right?), I'd like to call attention to Avowed instead. I was definitely interested in the game when it was announced in 2020. Still, after seeing its official gameplay trailer this year, it's shot to the top of my most-anticipated games list.  

Avowed's dynamic combat looks absolutely fantastic, with its varied magic spells and enchanted weapons giving me hope for the stellar build variety that's kept Skyrim fun to play for over a decade. Obsidian's RPGs are known for their rich narrative depth and immaculate worldbuilding. I'm always down for a new setting to get lost in.  

Part of my hype also stems from the fact that we haven't had an excellent open-world fantasy RPG in a long time, and yours truly is down bad for one. I can't keep relying on modded Skyrim to scratch that itch forever, so Obsidian better deliver! - Brendan Lowry, Contributor

The show was stacked from beginning to end with the most exciting upcoming games lineup I've seen in years, including Starfield, South of Midnight, Jusant, Dungeons of Hinterburg, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, Clockwork Revolution, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, and Fable. This isn't even counting all the incredible, beautiful indie games shown off throughout the rest of Not-E3 and the extended Xbox Games Showcase (I'll write more about those on my own). 

Alas, I must highlight one game in particular, so I've selected Avowed. Obsidian Entertainment is one of my all-time favorite developers, solely based on The Outer Worlds, Grounded, and the masterpiece that is Pentiment (one of my 2022 games of the year). Avowed looks like the open-world fantasy RPG I've wanted for years, and it couldn't be coming from a better team.

Avowed needs to arrive as soon as possible, as I'm eager to explore the Lost Lands, experiment with the vast array of weaponry and magic, and inevitably roleplay a generally wonderful hero that never does wrong (with a secret save file in which I unceremoniously murder everything on the map). I'm also indelibly curious about Avowed's narrative. Obsidian always does a remarkable job crafting a believable, surprisingly deep world and cast of characters. - Zachary Boddy, Staff Writer

Best Third-Party Reveal – Metaphor: ReFantazio

Metaphor: ReFantazio, Atlus' first JRPG, looks WILD

My favorite moment of the show was the lineup of Atlus JRPGs, especially the world premiere of Metaphor ReFantazio, Atlus' first-ever JRPG set in a pure fantasy land. Metaphor: ReFantazio looks absolutely wild. The fantastical art direction looks so over-the-top that it makes Persona 5 appear grounded in realism by comparison. From the small pieces of gameplay we've seen, it seems like it will incorporate the best aspects of Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series to create one heck of a JRPG. 

Atlus also treated fans to Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Tactica during the showcase. It felt nostalgic seeing the Persona 3 universe reimagined with Persona 3 Reload. Persona 3: FES on the PlayStation 2 was the first Persona game I ever played, so seeing Persona 3 remade with the graphical fidelity, stylish presentation, and gameplay improvements of modern Atlus titles like Persona 5 while remaining faithful to the original game's art style was a delight to see. - Alexander Cope, Contributor

Best in Show - Starfield

Starfield is the BEST of the best 👑

Starfield is positioned to be the biggest Xbox game of 2023, and the reaction from the community following Sunday's Starfield Direct only furthered its juggernaut status. Todd Howard and the team at Bethesda spent over 45 minutes detailing the scope, ambition, and unparalleled possibilities of their upcoming RPG. Fans already sold on Todd's "Skyrim in Space" pitch were feasting on every morsel of new information, and even skeptics walked away in awe of what Bethesda has seemingly achieved.  

For many members of our Windows Central team, Starfield was a confident highlight of Xbox's presentation. It's increasingly rare for AAA developers to spend so much time breaking down mechanics, story elements, and gameplay features ahead of launch. And the most outrageous thing about the 45-minute Starfield Direct is that it only scratches the surface, according to Todd Howard and the team.  

The greatest compliment I can give Starfield's showing at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 is it actually sold me on the game. As someone who isn't historically a massive fan of hard sci-fi RPGs (pause for boos), I was worried I wouldn't adore Starfield the same way I loved Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. However, after that staggering deep dive, I went from lukewarm to day one on Bethesda's space epic. - Miles Dompier, Contributor 

The Xbox Games Showcase 2023 and Xbox Games Showcase Extended were two of the strongest in the brand's history. Compelling first-party titles, including Fable, combined with a healthy showing from partners like SEGA and Capcom, passionately demonstrated Microsoft's commitment to the video games industry. And for fans uncertain about Xbox's future, the team carefully presented both near-term and longer-term titles worth getting excited about.  

With the Summer gaming extravaganza behind us, we now eagerly look towards Gamescom, Tokyo Game Show, and The Game Awards 2023 for additional information on Xbox Game Studios titles in development. If you're looking for something to play while you wait for Fable or Starfield, check out our list of the best games on Xbox Game Pass. 

What you need to know

• Playground Games dropped a new trailer for Fable at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023.
• The cheeky gameplay trailer featured a mix of in-engine footage, cinematics, and gameplay.   
• Due to the graphical fidelity displayed in the Fable trailer, skeptics aren't convinced it demonstrated actual gameplay.  

The Xbox Games Showcase 2023 was a triumphant moment for the platform. Ahead of this annual gaming event, fans and critics had genuine concerns about Xbox's first-party future and the unfulfilled promises of Xbox Game Studios thus far. Thankfully, Microsoft confidently previewed an undeniably impressive array of substantial updates, new game reveals, and Xbox Game Pass additions.   

While the showcase was generally received positively, it wasn't free of dissension. Surprisingly, one of the most-requested highlights, gameplay for Playground Games' reimagining of Fable, was met with the most disbelief. Despite Aaron Greenberg stating that all first-party games featured during the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 would be in-engine with gameplay and cinematics, audiences quickly complained about the lack of Fable gameplay in the latest trailer. But here's the thing – that was Fable gameplay.

Following the commentary from the community, key members of Playground Games have taken to social media to assuage concerns and provide further context on what was shown. Lukas Koelz, Lead Lighting Artist at Playground Games, had fun with the discourse stating, "People not believing this is 'real' or that the game will look like this is one of the best compliments." He also claimed that the footage used in the trailer was captured on Xbox Series X. 

The Fable Xbox Games Showcase 2023 trailer parades various in-game moments, including brief glimpses of combat and a frantic chase sequence with a giant Richard Ayoade. Because of the graphical fidelity displayed and the cinematic pacing of gameplay edits, some players weren't convinced we saw authentic combat. Chris Goodall, Principal Animator at Playground Games, also shared his contributions to the combat animations used in the Fable trailer on social media.

Windows Central's take

Fable was initially unveiled at the Xbox Games Showcase 2020, 10 years after the release of Fable 3. As an iconic franchise for the brand and a pillar of the original Xbox's exclusive lineup, legacy fans like myself have been clamoring for a new entry. Playground Games have displayed tremendous talent with the Forza Horizon series. After the unbelievable reveal of Forza Horizon 5's gameplay and its individually rendered cactus needles, it's not shocking that players are awestricken by Fable's latest trailer.   

Whether or not Fable will truly launch looking this astonishing on Xbox Series X remains to be seen. Still, considering the team's recent history, we have no reason to doubt their capabilities. I can't wait to get my hands on the new and improved world of Albion. Unfortunately, with no release window mentioned, it might still be a way out. Thankfully, there are plenty of excellent games in Xbox Game Pass to keep us busy while we wait. 

What you need to know

• Microsoft hosted the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 and Starfield Direct on Sunday June 11.
• The team featured dozens of high-profile games, and an impressive number of updates and new reveals.
• We've created a video that conveniently covers the biggest announcements from the Xbox Games Showcase in five minutes.

Yesterday, Microsoft hosted the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 and Starfield Direct. With anticipation and expectations through the roof, fans were incredibly eager to see what games Xbox and its teams have been cooking up. Thankfully, Xbox came thoroughly prepared with one of the strongest showings in the brand’s history. If you missed the gauntlet of updates and new game reveals, our latest video breaks down the biggest announcements from the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 in five minutes.   

In addition to noteworthy showings from partners like Capcom and Atlus, Xbox gave audiences a confidently stronger picture of the future of Xbox Game Studios. Fable, Avowed, South of Midnight, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, and several other key first-party games were presented at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 and Starfield Direct. Xbox even unveiled new hardware as a brief "one-more thing" moment. Considering the recent controversy surrounding the launch of Redfall and the noise of the ongoing Activision/Blizzard acquisition, this was a rejuvenating moment for the brand.

Compared to previous outings from Microsoft, the team delivered in a monumental way for fans. The snappy, rapid-fire pace of the Xbox Games Showcase viewers engaged from start to finish. As someone sharing the moment with the gaming community, it was difficult keeping up.

For more on the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 and Starfield Direct, be sure to check out our comprehensive ongoing coverage of the year's largest gaming events. And if you're looking for something to play while you wait for juggernaut releases like Starfield, be sure to check out our list of the best games on Xbox Game Pass. 

What you need to know

• Xbox Games Showcase 2023 + Starfield Direct took place today and showed off several games.
• A new trailer for the Fable Reboot was also shown.
• It's being developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Games Studios.
• It will be available on day one with Game Pass. 

The Fable Reboot was first announced back in 2020 and there has been very little news about it since. Until today, that is, when the Xbox Games Showcase 2023. A brand new trailer narrated by Dave the vegetable enthusiast (Richard Ayoade of IT Crowd), showed us some humourous new in-game footage.

While talking about the age of heroes being passed, Dave is interrupted by a noise in his home and we come to realize that he is in fact a giant. We then see gameplay of the female intruder trying to get away from Dave and failing. But then she is seen sitting on top of Dave's broken glasses, perhaps indicating that Dave the giant has been defeated in some way. 

We still don't know a whole lot about what the story is fully about, but we do know that Fable will be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one. 

What is the Fable series about?

It's been a long time since the last Fable games released, so it's very understandable if you don't know about these games or if you need a refresher. 

Fable games take place in a fictional nation called Albion, a medieval-looking place filled with magic, monsters, and various cities. Players take control of the main character and can proceed to level them up in various ways by taking on different quests, working on different relationships, and making decisions that determine their character's moral caliber. You can try to be the true hero or work on being a despicable villain. 

The very first game was developed by Lionhead Studios and released in 2001 for the original Xbox. It was really ahead of its time with the developers even promising to "revolutionize the RPG" with it (which it did). Unfortunately, this means that it didn't fair well, initially, because people didn't fully understand it. But today, many regard it as one of the best Xbox games as well as one of the most important ones.

Unlike anything at that time, Fable allowed people to make weighty decisions and had many mechanics in place that laid the groundwork for open-world games (which wouldn't really exist until several years later). But as our own Zachary Boddy noted when he played Fable Anniversary for the first time, despite being an aging classic it's still enjoyable and shows how special this franchise is. 

As more Fable games came out, the mechanics became more refined and co-op was also introduced allowing players to explore the fantasy world together. This is something we expect to return in the Fable Reboot. Counting collections, rereleases, and the Fable Reboot, there are currently 11 Fable games total.

We are just days away from Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase 2023 and Starfield Direct. This annual gaming ritual rallies the community around the wild prospects of stunning game reveals and internet-breaking announcements. While passionate Xbox fans are eager to see what the teams at Xbox Game Studios have been diligently crafting behind the scenes, 2023 has been a distracting and occasionally disappointing year for the brand, with the circus of the Activision/Blizzard acquisition and Redfall’s rocky release dominating conversations.  

Thankfully, energy and momentum have positively shifted for Xbox in recent weeks. Following a polarizing PlayStation Showcase, Microsoft appears reinvigorated and notably confident in its upcoming event. The VP of Xbox Games Marketing, Aaron Greenberg, has even skipped the infamous “temper expectations” tweets this year. This messaging, combined with teases from Sarah Bond, Phil Spencer, and the official Xbox social accounts, suggests fans are in store for an excellent Xbox Games Showcase.  

The current excitement, curiosity, and critical skepticism surrounding Xbox’s impending show is amplified by the platform’s light first-party output in 2022 and last year’s marketing decision to focus the entire showcase on games coming in “the next 12 months.” So, what should we anticipate from Xbox, given the current outlook from the community and a freshly established sense of self-confidence? That’s precisely what we’ll discuss with our official predictions for the Xbox Games Showcase 2023. 

What will probably be at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023

Before we dive into the list of games we're expecting Microsoft to feature at the Xbox Games Showcase, it's important to note that these are merely predictions based on the state of development timelines, recent activity from key personnel, industry insights, and a sprinkle of good old-fashioned conjecture. Like many fans, we don't know entirely what's in store for this year's showcase. That being said, these are our best forecasts for the games most likely to make an appearance.   

Let's start with the fantastical elephant in the room, Playground Games' massively-anticipated reboot of Fable. First revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase in 2020, the debut trailer playfully teased the project's existence and not much more. Since its announcement, the gameplay demonstration has been speculated and predicted for every subsequent Xbox Games Showcase. Considering professional updates that indicate flighting for Fable and Xbox's recent social media glitter bomb, it seems incredibly likely that we'll see Fable on Sunday.  

It's hard to determine whether this will be a full-fledged gameplay trailer or merely in-engine footage with cinematic elements and narration to help further set the tone of the reimagined world of Albion. Still, it's even harder to imagine Fable not showing at all during the Xbox Games Showcase 2023. If Fable's development still has a considerable way to go, there's also a strong chance Microsoft will lean into a remastered Fable collection to tide fans over for the next year and change.  

Another two extremely-awaited Xbox Game Studios titles that have a genuine chance of turning up at the Xbox Games Showcase are Obsidian Entertainment's dark fantasy RPG Avowed and Ninja Theory's dramatic spectacle Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. During last month's interview on the Kinda Funny Xcast, Phil Spencer specifically mentioned these two games when highlighting potential Xbox Game Studios releases that could launch in the quarters following Starfield.   

Factoring in these statements from Phil Spencer, we are poised to hear about the release timing for Avowed and Hellblade 2 potentially. With Starfield scheduled to launch in September, there's an open Holiday 2023 release gap for something like Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. However, considering the dynamic nature of game development, Microsoft may be hesitant to commit to that slot. Either way, gameplay for Avowed and a release window for Hellblade 2 are announcements we'd confidently put on our Bingo cards.

While not what many consider a notably adventurous prediction, Forza Motorsport is almost guaranteed for the Xbox Game Showcase 2023. The gorgeous racer has delighted fans at previous Xbox Games Showcases and the Developer_Direct in January. Curiously, Forza Motorsport didn't receive an official release date when shown earlier this year, so chances are we'll get confirmation of a late Summer/early Fall 2023 release. Additionally, Playground Games has an opportunity to announce an exciting expansion for Forza Horizon 5. 

Regarding other fan-favorite ongoing Xbox games, Microsoft has set the precedent of announcing thrilling updates at major Xbox events. Heading into the Xbox Games Showcase 2023, we are conveniently on the cusp of two significant seasonal rollouts for Sea of Thieves and Halo Infinite. In 2021, Sea of Thieves arguably stole the show with its outstanding Pirates of the Caribbean mini-campaign. Since then, fans have been clamoring for more crossovers. During the show, we expect flashy feature-forward trailers for Sea of Thieves and Halo Infinite.

One particularly well-received moment during the 2022 Xbox Games Showcase involved Phil Spencer commenting on the company's commitments to Japanese video game creators. In addition to the announcement of Personal 5 Royal coming to Xbox Game Pass, the team unveiled the long-rumored collaboration between Xbox and famed developer Hideo Kojima. The possibility of Xbox reaffirming those commitments during the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 feels probable, especially because of the unfortunate oopsie from the Atlus Instagram that announced Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Tactica are coming to Xbox Game Pass.   

Speaking of Xbox Game Pass, the first batch of titles confirmed for June 2023 was suspiciously lighter than average. Because of the continued positive reaction to substantial Xbox Game Pass announcements, we imagine Xbox has a few compelling shadow-drops up its sleeves. One of which possibly being a current-gen remaster of Fallout 4. While certainly not assured, Xbox could also set the internet ablaze by shadow-dropping Hollow Knight: Silksong in Xbox Game Pass.   

Xbox fans should also expect a handful of brand-new reveals from Xbox Game Studios. It isn't easy to pinpoint which teams will assertedly be in attendance. Still, Compulsion Games, InXile, and The Coalition seem most likely. Compulsion Games has been heads down on a new IP since the release of We Happy Few, currently codenamed Project Midnight. InXile is reportedly crafting a first-person RPG named Cobalt. And The Coalition is probably cooking up Gears 6 in Unreal Engine 5. Any of these announcements could be featured at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023.

What might be at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023

The most fascinating components of Xbox predictions right now are the remarkable possibilities for the future. Microsoft has made tremendous investments in Xbox Game Studios and Xbox Game Studios Publishing, and for players, that will unquestionably lead to an enhanced slate of engaging video games. Highlighting a smaller selection of likely candidates for the Xbox Games, Showcase 2023 is infinitely easier than swimming through the speculative pool of potential announcements. So, let's cover some games that may or may not star in the show.  

Xbox Game Studios Publishing has positioned itself as a core pillar of Xbox's business strategy. While acquisitions can guarantee consistent exclusive content, strategic partnerships with high-profile developers are equally excellent methods of bringing worthwhile games to your platform. When discussing the second-party output of Xbox in the near-term future, a handful of titles seem more likely than the others. 

The action-oriented heist game Contraband from Avalanche Studios, the mythical Kojima Xbox collaboration (rumored to be called Overdose?), and the side-scrolling fantasy title Wandering Tower (Project Belfry) from Stoic Studio all have a chance for fresh trailers at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023. Obviously, the likelihood of all of these Xbox Game Studios Publishing titles appearing at a singular event is low, but definitely not out of the question. We could also see Xbox unveil a brand-new surprise global partnership.   

Readily one of the most prominent desires from fans are updates regarding previously announced Xbox Game Studios releases. Everwild was first shown at XO19, State of Decay 3 was unveiled at the Xbox Games Showcase 2020, Project Mara was teased in early 2020, and Perfect Dark shockingly arrived at The Game Awards 2020. Several of these tentpole titles haven't received official updates of any kind in years. Fable, Avowed, and Hellblade 2 feel like superior contenders. However, given the total runtime, there's space for one of these highly anticipated Xbox Game Studios titles. 

Overall expectations for the Xbox Games Showcase 2023

On paper, Xbox is emplaced to deliver a stellar show for fans. The hopeful one-two punch of the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 and Starfield Direct, coupled with the Extended Games Showcase, presents ample opportunities for Xbox to demonstrate why players worldwide should be excited about the platform's future. Historically, skeptics have criticized Xbox's inability to supply the same level of hype as its competitors, but the undeniable swagger displayed by the team ahead of this year's show implies we're in for a fantastic time.   

For breaking coverage of the Xbox Games Showcase 2023, tune into our live blog this Sunday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET /6 PM UK. And to keep yourself entertained until then, check out our list of the best games on Xbox Game Pass. 

For Xbox fans, 2023 has been an emotionally dynamic year. Microsoft set a confident, optimistic tone with January's Developer_Direct that momentarily soothed the minimal first-party output from Xbox Game Studios in 2022. Unfortunately, conversations surrounding the future of Xbox rapidly shifted to pessimism following the CMA's decision to block the ongoing Activision/Blizzard/King acquisition and the poor critical reception to Microsoft's first $70 exclusive, Redfall.   

This detrimental one-two punch unquestionably shook the morale of even the most passionate Xbox enthusiasts. And the harsh opinions of critics, who've dispraised the gaming publisher's inconsistent messaging and delivery in recent years, were seemingly vindicated. The candid and, quite frankly, refreshing interview with Phil Spencer on the Kinda Funny Xcast last month painted a picture of a disappointed leadership team aware of the unpleasant optics. However, a fresh spark of certitude has manifested within the Xbox camp ahead of the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase.  

Considering the gaming community's uncertain standing regarding Xbox's ability to fulfill its grand promises, I took to Twitter to ask you what Xbox needs to deliver at the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase. While we endure the hyperbolic "make or break" rhetoric about Xbox events almost every year, this year feels significantly amplified because of the genuine intrigue and skepticism from the gaming community. Based on hundreds of responses, here's what you want to see most at the Xbox Games Showcase. 

Xbox Series X gameplay  

Far and away, the biggest request from fans for the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase is gameplay. Often teams are condemned or lambasted by players for providing CG trailers. It's perfectly fine for game reveals to lean into the convenience of CG, but there's nothing more exciting than a stunning gameplay reveal. While Xbox supplied a respectable amount of gameplay during last year's show, there's always room for improvement, and Xbox fans are hungry for more.  

Previously announced titles like Avowed, Hellblade 2, Fable, and Perfect Dark appear to be at the top of many viewers' wish lists. Considering Hellblade 2 and Avowed were explicitly mentioned by Phil Spencer as coming in the next few quarters, those two titles have an extremely high chance of making an appearance at the Xbox Games Showcase. Additionally, a recent social media post from Xbox heavily suggests fan-favorite Fable will also be in attendance.  

For console players, where the gameplay is demoed is almost as important as the gameplay itself. After the 30fps debacle with Redfall, fans want a clearer demonstration of what they can expect from these titles on their Xbox Series X|S hardware. Producing in-development gameplay trailers is incredibly demanding, and utilizing indicative PC footage likely eases the workload of these asks. However, Xbox will need to deliver console footage to appease their "most financially committed customers."  

Updates and release dates

As it stands, Xbox has officially announced Fable, Hellblade 2, Avowed, Everwild, State of Decay 3, Perfect Dark, The Outer Worlds 2, Indiana Jones, Starfield, Project: Mara, Forza Motorsport, Contraband, a Kojima collaboration, and a host of other projects in development. Sadly, it's been years since we've gotten meaningful updates for several of Xbox's most substantial releases. It's doubtful that Microsoft will touch on every previously debuted title. Still, fans are hopeful for communication on a handful of tentpole releases.

At last year's Xbox Games Showcase, Microsoft boldly set the expectation that all the games featured during the broadcast would be coming "in the next 12 months." Considering the barren Xbox roadmap at the time, this was a novel approach. However, as many frustrated fans have pointed out, Xbox fell markedly short of this goal. I imagine Xbox will be more cautious with its release ambitions for the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase while successfully providing windows that tell Xbox players when to anticipate high-profile Xbox titles. 

New Xbox Game Studios reveals  

Despite Microsoft's impressive list of confirmed Xbox Game Studios projects, more talented developers are quietly working on unannounced Xbox games. Officially, Compulsion Games, The Coalition, Double Fine, inXile, id Software, Tango Gameworks, and more haven't revealed what's coming next. Due to this extended silence, Xbox fans are eager to get first looks at new Xbox Game Studios reveals. 

We've previously discussed rumored releases like Cobalt from inXile and Project Midnight from Compulsion Games. Still, speculation and limited details are no substitute for a proper reveal. For years players have been anticipating what the investments from Xbox Game Studios will mean for these talented developers. Will Gears 6 make its debut? What about Evil Within 3 from Tango Gameworks? Only time will tell. Thankfully, with the Xbox Games Showcase just a few weeks away, fans won't be waiting much longer for answers.  

Xbox Game Studios Publishing partnerships  

One of the standout moments of 2022's Xbox Game Showcase was the confirmation of the long-rumored collaboration between Xbox Game Studios Publishing and famed video game developer Hideo Kojima. This was an important moment for Xbox that tangibly authenticated Xbox's commitments to Xbox Games Studios Publishing and Japanese developers. This, combined with the reveal of Avalanche Games' heist action title Contraband, set a stalwart tone for the outlook of Xbox's recently rebranded publishing wing.

While many fans would love gameplay reveals for Kojima's Xbox project and Contraband, others are anxious to know what other Xbox Game Studios Publishing partnerships have manifested. Considering the glaring hole left by the recent absence of the Final Fantasy franchise, JRPG fans want to see Xbox announce bolstered relationships with prominent Japanese studios. With renewed enthusiasm thanks to Xbox Game Pass releases like Persona 5 Royal, Monster Hunter Rise, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Xbox seems more willing than ever to invest in partnerships.  

Will Xbox deliver?

One of my favorite aspects of covering Xbox is dissecting the future. Xbox personifies promise, and as a player, their investments into Xbox Game Studios and Xbox Game Studios Publishing are undeniably exciting. Releases like Grounded and Pentiment substantiate Microsoft's pledge to celebrate experimentation and creativity in the video games industry. Obviously, there are business realities to consider, and this year's aggressive layoffs have been heartbreaking reminders of this pressure. Still, my fixation on the horizon remains steadfast.   

It remains to be seen whether Xbox can truly deliver on the lofty expectations of its audience during the Xbox Games Showcase on June 11, 2023. But in the words of Phil Spencer, "The Xbox community should demand a lot of us as a team. We've got the resources to do better." Additionally, Spencer has shared encouraging words for fans. "I'm not going to try and oversell the showcase, but I'm very excited about showcase. We're going to announce some things people haven't seen with new games and show updates for previously announced Xbox Game Studios titles."   

Now, we collectively wait to see if Xbox can introduce a fresh lineup of titles worthy of making our list of the best Xbox games and firmly establish Xbox as a must-play platform for players worldwide.   

If you know of me or even just regularly read Windows Central, you may be aware that, for the last two years, my sole gaming quest has been to play and complete as many video games as possible. In 2022 I crossed 52 games off my backlog, and I'm already making decent progress in 2023. One series that has been on the list for a long time is Fable, a legendary RPG franchise that boasts a very dedicated fanbase. Now, I can finally say I've experienced Fable.

I sat down to play Fable Anniversary on my Xbox Series X, confident that I was playing the very best version of this classic RPG. After overcoming the initial pains of playing an older, inaccessible title, I quickly found myself falling in love with the world of Fable and its charming, unique blend of serious plotlines and humorous writing. In some ways, Fable feels more like an RPG than many modern RPGs in that I always felt like I was in control of the Hero's destiny.

Easing into an aging classic

Fable Anniversary is an expanded and remastered Xbox 360 version of 2005's Fable: The Lost Chapters, which in turn is an expanded re-release of the first Fable from 2004 on the original Xbox. Released in 2014, Fable Anniversary brought vastly improved visual fidelity, superior performance and load speeds, overhauled controls and UI, and plenty of Achievements to entice new and returning players. It's a great remaster of a game that was 10 years old at the time, but even Fable Anniversary is now over nine years old.

I played the game on my Xbox Series X, which means my experience was even better than those who may have played Fable Anniversary around its initial release. Upscaled to 4K HDR on my TV, with FPS Boost bringing me 60 smooth frames per second, the first Fable has never looked or played better than it does on the latest current-gen Xbox consoles. Still, no number of facelifts short of a complete remake can fix fundamental game design, meaning it took me a few hours of easing into Fable Anniversary before it really clicked.

Fable is still a product of its time, and that means everything from exploring its world to battling its enemy lacks the fluidity and seamlessness of more modern games. Everything feels just a little clunky and awkward, and it's clear that the scope of the first Fable game was inherently limited by the capabilities of the hardware on which it launched. Fable Anniversary also lacks in-depth accessibility options, with even subtitles being compromised.

As I'm hard of hearing and have auditory processing issues, subtitles are necessary whenever I play any game or watch any media. Fable's subtitles, however, lack customization and strangely only apply to in-game cinematics, meaning I frankly lost a lot of casual NPC conversations and non-cinematic story moments. Beyond these issues, though, I found a game that I wholeheartedly loved, to the point where I genuinely could scarcely stop playing until I finished the entire game over the course of two-three days.

Discovering the magic of Fable

The story of Fable is a simple one: you're the Hero, orphaned at a young age by a brutal bandit raid and raised to be a powerful, productive member of the Guild. As a part of the Guild, you explore the world, taking on quests for various people, establishing a name for yourself as either an evil plight on the land or a pure-hearted savior. To this end, every major decision in Fable is very black and white — you either choose the good path or the bad path, and the consequences of each choice are fairly obvious.

In this way, Fable may confuse players used to more recent RPGs. There's no character creator here, not even as much as a gender slider or a way to choose your name; the Hero is who he is, and that's all there is to it. Sure, you can alter his hair, get tattoos, and change his body type through rigorous exercise or excessive eating, but you're never expected to put yourself into the world of Fable. You're also never confronted with an endless array of vague, questionably meaningful decisions. Instead, Fable asks not that you role-play as a character of your creation but instead control the destiny of a nameless Hero inexplicably involved in the fate of the entire world.

It's the ways in which you can control that destiny where Fable's magic lies. For one, you can romance almost anyone in Fable's world; you can flirt with all the men, women, and people of Fable wherever you go, have people fall in love with you, and marry them. Fable has plenty of stats to inform how many spouses you have, what your sexuality is, how many times you've been divorced, and even how many times you've, ah, gone to bed with other people. If you want to be truly evil, you can attempt to romance everyone in a town and absolutely ruin all their collective lives.

You can invest in real estate, including buying and furnishing homes for yourself or renting out to tenants for some passive income. If homeowners or shopkeepers "mysteriously" pass away or disappear, their properties go on the market and can also be purchased. Yes, you can own pretty much everything in Fable, as long as you're willing to reduce the population a tad. It's ridiculous.

Fable also features a healthy number of Expressions that can be used to interact with the people of Albion. From positive affirmations and pleasant manners to spiteful insults and silly dances, there are plenty of ways to elicit reactions out of NPCs. You can even fart... at any point, whenever you want. Your Expressions are influenced by your Hero's alignment (how good and evil they are) and how well-known they are. They can be necessary for finding secrets, completing quests, and generally being a part of Fable's world.

There are so many small ways you can influence Fable, despite its modest scale, that makes you feel like you have control. Many of these ways actually make little to no difference to the game's story and are simply ways to have fun amidst all the chaos and seriousness. Fable isn't afraid to be delightfully silly, and it gives the game a wonderful charm that's just absent in many "AAA" modern RPGs — which often insist on being serious and dramatic to the point of exhaustion.

Looking for charm in modern AAA titles

Modern games look and play better than any previous generation of gaming, and developers are becoming more creative and ambitious than ever before. Why is it, then, that Fable Anniversary is lingering in my thoughts so much longer than other modern RPGs? What is it about this 19-year-old classic that remains so fun after all this time?

Many modern RPGs are filled with vast open-worlds and countless quests, discoveries, choices, and ways to personalize your experience, but they also tend to focus unerringly on the completion. It's all about getting things done, all the time. Complete the next quest, unlock the next level, beat the next boss — RPGs are always giving you another thing to keep you occupied, and it's always so aggressively serious. Fable has plenty of serious moments, but it's also filled with minute details that don't matter at all. They're just there because someone, somewhere, will love them.

It's the general undertone of "fun" in Fable — the comforting knowledge that the game doesn't take itself too seriously and understands players are here for an escape — that makes Fable feel so refreshing despite its binary choices, restrictive world and clunky controls (side note: Fable's combat actually does feel pretty great once you become accustomed, but it's always a little awkward).

Video games are constantly striving to become bigger and bolder than what came before, but this incessant push for more often results in games forgetting that there's still value in a simple moment of humanity, or in the option to be ridiculous. Making vulgar gestures at a door that won't open, farting to ward off a common bully, posing heroically in front of a gaggle of love-addled fans, and combatting the forces of darkness with a frying pan and a chicken hat are all things you can do in Fable Anniversary.

This charm is absent in so many games nowadays despite the mind-boggling technological advancements, and it's likely a large part of why Hi-Fi RUSH is such an incredible journey from beginning to end. Elden Ring is also a great example of this, with its community messages offering a potent, often hilarious contrast to the dark and morbid atmosphere of its world.

Fable Anniversary was amazing, and I loved every moment of my nearly 21 hours in it. If you're interested, the entire Fable series count among the best Xbox Game Pass games you can go play right now. I'm absolutely going to dive into Fable II and Fable III later this year, and I'm now unreservedly looking forward to the Fable reboot from Playground Games. I just hope the Forza Horizon developers remember what makes the original Fable so special.

What you need to know

• Embracer Group acquired three studios — Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal — from Square Enix for $300 million earlier in 2022. 
• Square Enix Montreal, which was renamed Onoma, is reportedly being shut down. 
• Eidos Montreal will reportedly be assisting Xbox and Playground Games with the upcoming Fable game.

Embracer Group recently acquired three studios from Square Enix but is now shutting one of them down, while another will be assisting with an upcoming title from Xbox Game Studios. 

That's according to a report from Bloomberg, which indicates that Embracer Group is closing Otomo, a studio formerly known as Square Enix Montreal. Under Square Enix, this team primarily worked on mobile games, developing titles such as Lara Croft GO and Hitman GO. 

Square Enix Montreal was acquired by Embracer Group — alongside fellow western Square Enix studios Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal — for $300 million earlier in 2022, a deal that also included western Square Enix IP such as Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain. Once the acquisition finalized, Square Enix Montreal was rebranded as Onoma. The acquisition totaled around 1100 developers across all three studios, some of which will now be losing their jobs.

Curiously, Bloomberg's report also indicates that some of the employees working at Onoma will be transferred to Eidos Montreal. The latter studio is also subject to cost-saving efforts, with one unnamed project being canceled and another having its overall scope reduced.

While Eidos Montreal is reportedly in early work on a new Deux Ex game, the studio will also reportedly be working with Xbox and Playground Games on the upcoming Fable. The revival of Fable, rumored and hinted at for years, was officially announced in 2020, though there's been little news since then.

Curiously, Eidos Montreal's sister studio Crystal Dynamics is also working on an upcoming title from Xbox Game Studios. In addition to working on the next Tomb Raider game, Crystal Dynamics was previously confirmed to be assisting The Initiative with the Perfect Dark reboot.

What you need to know

• Gavin Raeburn is a prolific game developer involved in franchises like DiRT, GRID, and Forza Horizon.
• He co-founded Playground Games with Trevor Williams back in 2009, which Microsoft later acquired for Forza Horizon.
• Announced today, Gavin Raeburn is leaving Playground Games, replaced by Trevor Williams as Studio Head.

Forza Horizon is one of Microsoft's most successful franchises. Even during the darkest days of the Xbox One generation, Forza Horizon stood out as a bright star defiantly launching to critical acclaim and big sales success. Now bigger than Forza Motorsport itself, Forza Horizon is one of Xbox's most cherished franchises, serving tens of millions of players across the world with its expansive take on open-world arcade-style racing. The latest entry Forza Horizon 5 takes place in Mexico, and has already raced into pole position as the franchise's most successful entry yet.

Announced today, Microsoft and Playground Games revealed Gavin Raeburn, who has served as Studio Director and co-founder for the past 12 years, is leaving the company. General Manager and partner co-founder Trevor Williams will step up as Studio Head in Raeburn's place. Microsoft's CVP of Forza and Fable, Alan Hartman, shared the below message with us.

Gavin Raeburn is something of an industry legend, having worked on cult classics like The Equalizer for the Commodore 64, all the way up to Codemasters' TOCA Championship, DiRT, and GRID. Raeburn left Codemasters to co-found Playground Games in 2009, and built what has since become one of Microsoft's most important studios, if not its most important studio this side of Minecraft.

Playground Games continues work on Forza Horizon 5, likely building DLC expansions as we've seen from previous entries. Playground is also working on a reboot of classic Xbox RPG franchise Fable, soaking up developer talent from the likes of Rockstar Games and CD Projekt RED to make it happen.

There's no information about where Gavin Raeburn might be headed next, but we suspect Fable won't be the last time we see the Raeburn brand grace the credits of a major game launch.

Forza Horizon 5 is available now for Xbox and PC, or as part of an Xbox Game Pass subscription.

What you need to know

• Lionhead Studios built the classic Fable franchise across the original Xbox and Xbox 360.
• Microsoft pivoted Lionhead to work on Kinect games, and later a service-type multiplayer Fable game.
• In the end Microsoft shuttered Lionhead, but has vowed to learn from their mistakes when it comes to future acquisitions.

Microsoft has a 6-part documentary series describing the trials and successes of Xbox, from its very inception all the way up to the present. In one of the episodes, World's Edge studio head Shannon Loftis, VP Sarah Bond, and Xbox lead Phil Spencer all discuss Lionhead Studios, the British outfit known for the Fable franchise.

In the show (via IGN), the Xbox team reflect on the closure of Lionhead, which they describe as a mistake to learn from.

Shannon Loftis, who led Global Publishing at the time, lamented: "One of the biggest missteps that we learned from in the past was Lionhead. We had already published Fable 1, and it was a hit... People wanted more, and so we bought Lionhead. Those were good years. But after Fable 2, Kinect came along and the Fable-Kinect marriage just never really took. And then Fable: The Journey was a passion project for a lot of people, but I think it deviated pretty significantly from the pillars of what made Fable 1 and 2 so popular."

Sarah Bond who leads Microsoft's gaming business development team called the running, and closure of Lionhead a mistake. Microsoft closed the studio in 2016, after internal feedback for the Fable Legends project made it apparent that multiplayer free-to-play wasn't going to work for the franchise. "We acquired Lionhead in 2006, and shut it down in 2016. A couple of years later we reflected back on that experience. What did we learn, and how do we not repeat our same mistakes?"

Phil Spencer, who leads Xbox offered a glimpse into how Microsoft is running its current gaming acquisitions, reflecting on the Lionhead situation: "You acquire a studio for what they're great at now, and your job is to help them accelerate how they do what they do, not them accelerate what you do." Judging by games like Hellblade II and others being made by Microsoft's studio acquisitions, I'd say Xbox may have indeed learned its lesson.

Lionhead's legacy lives on in a big-budget Fable reboot, led by Playground Games — another British studio — known primarily for the multi-award-winning Forza Horizon franchise. Fable's legacy will live on in its reboot, and many of the developers who worked on the franchise found their way into other studios, such as Two Point, known for the similarly good-natured Two Point Hospital and University games, Rare of Sea of Thieves fame, and even Playground itself.

Microsoft's Fable reboot remains by and large shrouded in mystery, but it shouldn't be long before we catch a glimpse of the direction the game is taking.

What you need to know

• The backward compatibility team at Xbox is the best in the world at what they do, and now they're expanding again.
• Starting today, 16 classic backward compatible games are coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming (Project xCloud) on Android devices.
• You can stream all 16 of these original Xbox and Xbox 360 games to your phone right now, and some even feature touch controls.
• There are some great games here, including Fallout: New Vegas, Fable II, Gears of War 2, the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and more.

The Xbox backward compatibility team has showed no signs of slowing down in recent months, and continues to expand the program in new and meaningful ways. Earlier this month, FPS Boost began to double or even quadruple the framerates of select backward compatible titles on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Today, Xbox is bringing 16 backward compatible games to Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Starting today, the Xbox backward compatible team is bringing their vast catalog of original Xbox and Xbox 360 games on Xbox Game Pass to Xbox Cloud Gaming, formerly known as Project xCloud. This means you'll be able to play a selection of classic games straight from your phone! The icing on the cake is that a few of the initial 16 games already support touch controls through Xbox Cloud Gaming on Android.

The full list of backward compatible games heading to Xbox Cloud Gaming on Android (and future platforms) include:

• Banjo-Kazooie
• Banjo-Tooie
• Double Dragon Neon
• Fable II
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Gears of War 2
• Gears of War 3
• Gears of War: Judgment
• Jetpac Refuelled (touch controls enabled)
• Kameo
• Perfect Dark
• Perfect Dark Zero
• The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• Viva Piñata (touch controls enabled)
• Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise (touch controls enabled)

If you haven't tried Xbox Cloud Gaming yet, it's included as one of the many perks and services in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Stream full-fledged Xbox titles to your phone, either using an Xbox controller or by using the built-in touch controls on certain titles. You can check out our list of best Xbox Cloud Gaming accessories for some ideas on how to get started, or continue to enjoy some of the best Xbox Game Pass games available.

What you need to know

• PQube has unveiled its latest indie game with Kitaria Fables - an Action RPG in a similar vein to Diablo and Minecraft Dungeons.
• Kitaria Fables has an adorable and unique art style, and pairs classless ARPG mechanics with crafting and farming.
• The game is heading to Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS5, and Switch later this year, with no mention of last-gen consoles.
• You can check out the reveal trailer for Kitaria Fables and get a sneak peek at what it's like to be a cat with a massive sword.

Action RPGs like the upcoming Diablo 4 and the genuinely excellent Minecraft Dungeons are ensuring that the third-person, dungeon-crawling, loot-based ARPG formula isn't going anywhere. The latest game from PQube proves this, with Kitaria Fables hitting the scene with a combination of classic ARPG gameplay, crafting and farming mechanics, and an adorable art style that brings about feelings of "uWu." You can check out the reveal trailer and some images for Kitaria Fables below.

Source: PQube

Kitaria Fables is closer to Minecraft Dungeons than Diablo 4, it seems, as it doesn't rely on classes. Players are free to equip any armor, weapons, bows, and magic spells they want to create the perfect loadout for their playstyle. Using crafting mechanics, players can even craft new gear for themselves, discover new spells, and more. You can also maintain a farm to help you craft new gear and provisions.

Kitaria Fables also supports co-op, so you can tackle its various challenges, explore dungeons, and go on adventures with a friend! Oh, and did I mention you play as a cat?

PQube's latest game, Kitaria Fables, is already available to wishlist on Steam. If this is the kind of game that captures your attention (how could it not with its adorable visuals?), Kitaria Fables is heading to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5, Switch, and PC later this year. An exact release date is not known at this time.

Prepare for Kitaria Fables and its adorable co-op gameplay with one of the Best Headsets for Xbox Series X|S, which feature amazing audio features.

What you need to know

• Fable is an upcoming action-RPG being developed by Playground Games.
• According to Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty, this will be a "high-quality release."
• Booty also mentioned that Playground is bringing older concepts alongside new ideas.
• Fable is being developed for the Xbox Series X and PC.

The reveal of the long-rumored Fable reboot from Playground Games closed out the recent Xbox Games Showcase. While many fans are excited the franchise is officially coming back, there's a lot of questions around just what form this new title will take. In an interview with The Guardian, Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty talked a little about what newcomers and longtime fans can expect from this new Fable.

Booty mentioned that Playground's attention to detail and passion for the franchise have impressed him and that everything he's seen so far indicates it will be a "very high-quality release."

"With any kind of franchise like that, where you've had existing versions, there's always that balance between what you're going to bring forward, what still stands up, and what you want to add that's new," he continues. "It's like the challenge of making a new Star Wars movie – there's stuff that everyone wants you to bring along, but then you've got a responsibility to take that to new places and I trust Playground has a good vision for that."

Recently, we reported that Fable will not be an MMO, contrary to the many rumors currently flying around. This doesn't mean there won't be online components like co-op but the focus is solidly on crafting an action-RPG.

Fable does not currently have a release window. When it does arrive, it'll be available on Xbox Series X and PC.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• Recently, rumors spread that the new Fable from Playground Games was an MMO.
• Rumors also quickly spread that Halo Infinite's multiplayer wouldn't be included at launch.
• Both of these rumors are completely false.

After yesterday's Xbox Games Showcase featuring reveals like Halo Infinite's gameplay, rumors quickly started to spread about some of the big games shown. Citing @ChronoTK on Twitter, the rumor that Playground Games's Fable was actually an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) title quickly spread.

For anyone who is concerned about not getting a proper role-playing game (RPG), your fears are unfounded. Multiple sources familiar with the plans for Playground's take on Fable have confirmed to us that it is an action-RPG, one that you can play in single-player. There may be online elements like co-op functionality or limited, optional shared spaces but nothing to the extent that would justify classifying the game as an MMO.

This wasn't the end of the worried whispers though, as a comment from Brad Sams indicated that Halo Infinite might ship without its multiplayer. 343 Industries community director Brian Jarrard quickly stepped in to explain this rumor wasn't true, replying to a (now-deleted) Tweet about the rumor.

We've previously reported that the multiplayer for Halo Infinite might be free-to-play, in the same vein as Call of Duty: Warzone being available without buying Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. If so, it's possible that the campaign and multiplayer could use seperate clients but they are intended to ship alongside each other.

Halo Infinite is coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC with a release window of Holiday 2020. Fable is coming to the Xbox Series X and PC but there's no release date or even window right now.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

With a new mainline Fable entry in the works after a decade-long hiatus, Microsoft looks to revive its weird world of fantasy and wonder. The once-staple franchise during the early years of Xbox, Fable returns reimagined through the lens of Forza Horizon developer, Playground Games. Our first look at Fable comes through a brief reveal trailer, setting the stage for its arrival over the years ahead. While details remain scarce, we've rounded up everything you need to know so far.

Latest Fable news

New Fable trailer shown at Xbox Game Showcase 2023

After years of little-to-know new information regarding Fable, we finally got a brand new trailer with in-game footage during the Xbox Game Showcase 2023. Here we're introduced to Dave, a vegetable enthusiast (played by Richard Ayoade of IT Crowd) who tells us that the time for heroes is over. Then we soon realize that he is actually a giant and pursues a small woman who is in his home. 

Microsoft unveils Fable at Xbox Games Showcase 2020

Microsoft unveiled its Fable reboot at the Xbox Games Showcase on July 23, host to our latest sample of Xbox Series X gameplay. The one-hour show wrapped with a one-minute trailer, exploring the vision under developer, Playground Games.

Microsoft debuted Fable with a mystical reveal trailer

While rumors of Microsoft's Fable reboot had circulated for several years, the project finally materialized with its unveiling in late July 2020. The next Fable entry received its debut teaser at Microsoft's summer Xbox Games Showcase, primarily geared towards titles targeting the next-generation Xbox Series X console.

Fable returns almost half a decade since the closure of franchise creator Lionhead Studios and the cancelation of its last project, Fable Legends. Recent entries included an on-rails Kinect spinoff, a stylized beat 'em up, and a digital card game — but a true successor has been absent since 2010's Fable III.

The return of Fable isn't unexpected, with developer Playground Games openly discussing its self-described "AAA open-world action / RPG project" since 2017. The U.K. studio, famed for past work on the Forza Horizon series, assembled a dedicated ancillary team in Leamington Spa exclusively for the upcoming title. While the studio itself fell silent, multiple reports, copyright filings, and leaked artwork suggested that Fable was ready for a comeback.

The studio continued to onboard additional names, described as "world-class talent" by Gavin Raeburn, studio director at Playground Games. Microsoft reportedly secured veterans from BioWare, Motive Studios, Guerrilla Games, Ninja Theory, and Rocksteady Studios, all assigned to this illusive RPG.

While Fable's return only raises more questions for the franchise's future, its appearance provides a tease of what players can expect. The trailer shows a fairy flying through a mystical background — eaten by a toad, in classic Fable humor. The trailer pans to reveal a fantasy metropolis on the horizon, wrapped with the new Fable logo.

Fable gameplay: What to expect

Microsoft reportedly scaled up investment in a new Fable after the release of 2016's Horizon Zero Dawn, which saw critical acclaim on PlayStation 4. As a single-player experience, the game's success marked a major step away from the industry-wide shift to online experiences. While this could indicate the next Fable will put single-player front and center, we'll have to wait on official word.

Fable is expected to be a story and character-focused open-world action role-playing game (RPG), with similar mechanics to what made the first game so unique. The flexibility and depth of the Fable sandbox was a crucial component of the original games, with outstanding morality and player choice systems for the time. Between its narrative and environments, the world of Fable emits unmatched character, even today. However, the inconsistency of the Fable timeline makes it hard to pinpoint an expected era for the title.

Is Fable coming to Xbox One?

Microsoft unveiled its return to Fable, pushing its next-generation Xbox Series X in tandem with PC availability. The project is seemingly at least a couple of years from release, so the trailer made no mention of a planned Xbox One launch. While the first next-generation titles aim to bridge platforms, as seen with Halo Infinite, Fable appears to be among those strictly bound to the cutting-edge hardware. You'll likely need to upgrade to play the latest from Fable.

Is Fable included with Xbox Game Pass?

Yes, Fable will be playable on Xbox and PC via Xbox Game Pass at no additional cost. Microsoft continues to invest in Xbox Game Pass, its Netflix-style subscription service for games on Xbox One and PC. The company previously extended its library to all first-party Xbox Game Studios-published titles, available from launch day at no additional cost. Fable falls within that same category, positioned alongside titles like Halo, Gears of War, and Forza. However, alongside its inclusion with Xbox Game Pass, Fable will be available for standalone purchase, too.

Fable release date for Xbox Series X & PC

Microsoft hasn't given a firm release date (or window) for its next Fable entry. The reveal trailer provided our first confirmation of the project's existence and an early glimpse into the setting. Now with the second trailer during the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 showing us a bit of gameplay, it seems likely that the game won't come out until late 2023 or later. 

Microsoft has unveiled an upcoming reboot of its Fable role-playing series, marking its long-rumored return after almost a decade since its last mainline entry. The first teaser for the Playground Games-led project made its debut at the Xbox Games Showcase on July 23, showcased alongside other next-generation experiences geared toward the Xbox Series X. The title surfaced alongside a brief cinematic teaser trailer, establishing the setting for the next franchise installment.

Fable Reboot: Everything We Know

The existence of a new Fable entry isn't hugely surprising, with developer Playground Games teasing an open-world action-geared role-playing game (RPG) over recent years. Multiple reports suggested the series was far from finished, despite the closure of creator, Lionhead Studios, and cancellation of Fable Legends, back in 2016. The UK developer established a secondary Leamington Spa team comprised of several hundred employees, separated from roots in Forza Horizon.

Details on the setting for Fable remain murky, providing just a brief glimpse of the art direction. Microsoft is also yet to provide a release window, although confirms availability on Xbox Series X and PC, seemingly dropping the Xbox One console.

What you need to know

• Playground Games is working on a new Fable game.
• The studio recently hired a number of developers including EA's Ian Mitchell.
• Head of Recruitment Nick Duncombe said Mitchell was working on a role-playing game.
• You can purchase Xbox Game Pass Ultimate through the Microsoft Store for $1.

Updated June 26, 2019: According to Ian Mitchell's LinkedIn profile, he's worked on games like Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Star Wars Battlefront II, and an unannounced title which EA hasn't discussed as of yet. Since he's now a Senior Producer at Playground Games which is rumored to be working on Fable IV, the move makes perfect sense. EA hasn't released a compelling open-world game in years since Dragon Age: Inquisition or Mass Effect: Andromeda, so it's great to see that Mitchell's expertise will serve Playground well. He worked on those titles and they're exactly the kind of game Playground is making.

It's no secret that Playground Games, a recent Xbox Game Studios acquisition, is working on a new Fable game. The team is rapidly hiring developers for the project, and it looks like Playground is roping in some high-profile people to fill key positions. Today, Head of Recruitment Nick Duncombe said that EA's Ian Mitchell was part of the team. He said, "Joining the role-playing game team we have Ian Mitchell as a Senior Producer from EA."

It'll be interesting to see how Mitchell's expertise benefits the upcoming role-playing game. Hopefully, it'll be an interesting experience along the lines of Horizon Zero Dawn from Sony.

Many of the past Fable titles are available through Xbox Game Pass. Experiences like Fable Anniversary have been upgraded for Xbox One X, so they look crisp on modern displays. There's a promotion going on through the Microsoft Store which lets you upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – which includes Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass for PC, and Xbox Live Gold – for $1. Amazon is also selling a three-month subscription for $20.

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

For months now, rumors have been floating around that Playground Games — Microsoft's recent gaming acquisition — was developing the next Fable title. At E3 2018, Xbox head Phil Spencer stopped short of confirming that the developer was working on Fable, but instead said that the team was developing a separate project that's an action role-playing game (RPG).

In order to assist with that game's development, Playground Games is hiring a lot of talented individuals from the gaming industry. A report by GamesIndustry.biz said that the studio picked up programmers from BioWare, Motive Studios, Guerrilla Games, Ninja Theory, and Rocksteady Studios.

BioWare, Guerrilla Games, Ninja Theory, and Rocksteady Studios have worked on incredible experiences like Mass Effect, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and Horizon Zero Dawn. This hiring spree comes right after Playground Games recruited developers who worked on Grand Theft Auto V, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, and Metal Gear Solid.

Playground Games Studio Director Gavin Raeburn said the following when asked about the recruiting.

Hopefully the team's new role-playing game will be a critically-acclaimed title when it launches. We'll keep you posted as soon as we know more. With Gamescom 2018 coming up in August, we might receive more information sooner than expected.

See Xbox One at Amazon

Keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for all the latest in Xbox and Windows 10 gaming, accessories, news, and reviews!

One of Xbox's most iconic franchises, "Fable," faced its demise two years ago when Microsoft shut down its UK-based creator. Ceasing development on Fable: Legends, its next installment at the time, the future for the series looked bleak.

Talk of a new Fable game has been circulating for some time now, though has lately rekindled following a recent report. According to several sources, a revival of the Fable franchise is in the works, led by Forza Horizon 3 developer, Playground Games. And although still early in development, the project is supposedly shaping up as a "story and character-focused open-world action RPG," drawing clear parallels to the original Fable trilogy.

For now, details on "Fable IV" mostly fall under rumor and speculation. Without even an official acknowledgment of the project's existence, let alone a name, firm details on what to expect are yet to surface. Regardless, if returning to its roots as a single-player experience, there are some things that will support its success.

Deliver a 'true' Fable experience

It's been eight years since the last entry to the main line of Fable games, with 2010's conclusion to the trilogy, Fable III. In the years since, five games have still been developed – four that saw their public release. Fable Heroes was a lacking arcade game, Fable: The Journey was a disappointing experience built around Kinect, and Fable Anniversary was a remaster plagued by technical issues. "Fable: Legends" showed promise before eventually being killed, while Fable: Fortune is a card game with limited appeal. We simply haven't had a real Fable game in almost a decade.

While success was never seen across these spin-offs, that's not to say Microsoft should avoid new concepts entirely. Delivering changes upon predecessors is still key to evolving the franchise, though ideally with consideration of what Fable truly is. Maintaining its strong role-playing game (RPG) mechanics should lay as a focus, with innovations building on this formula.

Put story front and center

One of the biggest strengths of the main Fable trilogy is its narrative, only bolstered by a strong surrounding world. Each of the games told immersive stories packed with a strong accompanying cast, which kept players engaged to the credits (and often beyond).

Currently, rumors expect the next Fable to return to its roots as primarily a role-playing experience, which should hopefully ensure an equal level of depth to its narrative. And with an established universe already behind it, there are still intriguing eras to be explored. Provided recent rumors transpire, Microsoft should be aiming to deliver a dive into untouched areas of Fable lore.

Recognizing what made Fable unique

While story-driven RPGs aren't uncommon, the Fable games were always defined by their original take on the genre. Signature traits carved a unique persona for the franchise at the time, and even today, no competitors provide what the three games offered.

Easily the most iconic characteristic of the Fable franchise is its alignment system, which gauges player morality after completing "good" and "evil" deeds in the world. Not only did this add weight to your every action – this shaped a unique persona for players in Albion. Morality alignment had clear consequences throughout the world and fed directly into the gameplay that unfolded.

Fable's light approach to its fantasy setting also strongly shaped the franchise's character, with a level of quirkiness unlike many games in a fantasy setting. With stylized art direction and its charming British humor, Fable recognizes its heritage and medium.

Pay attention to the finer details

The Fable trilogy was a pure RPG experience, with a level of depth that encouraged players to explore its world. Experimenting with the game's mechanics, talking to NPCs and discovering new locations all came with rewards, urging players to test the limits of its sandbox.

This level of detail was one of the most prominent strengths backing The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, a game that saw widespread success earlier this generation. Every inch of its world (and the quests that inhabited it) had a handcrafted touch, serving up an adventure with unmatched detail and consistency. The resources to build such a world may be high, though can pay off with the right execution. Though we should welcome the return of Fable's main quests, side missions and activities should be approached with a similar level of curation.

Monetization where it matters

"Games-as-a-service" (GaaS) titles have become increasingly popular this generation, with almost every major publisher implementing elements of the model into games. Between season passes, microtransactions, and various other post-launch content plans, games are frequently designed to secure long-term player retention and monetization. Microsoft Studios hasn't been reluctant to adopt this either, with Halo 5: Guardians, Gears of War 4, and Forza Motorsport 7 all examples this business model.

Realistically, this approach to game development is here to stay and while controversial, is becoming the norm for AAA releases. Fable may be set to adopt some of these traits too, though Microsoft should be cautious about how these affect the Fable experience.

Fable III started to explore this concept through its downloadable content, with various cosmetic items and gameplay buffs offered in exchange for real-world money. A similar system could be welcomed for a new entry, although how agressive Microsoft is at pushing these purchases will have a huge bearing on their reception. Let's just hope we don't end up receiving "Fable: The Loot Box Journey" for this next installment.

Your thoughts on Fable IV

The next Fable may be some time away, though anticipation for its debut is already high. As one of Microsoft's beloved franchises across its Xbox consoles, its return will hopefully be embraced with the right execution. What are you wanting to see from a new Fable title? Make sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

After shutting the doors of the Fable creators, "Lionhead Studios," Microsoft has remained quiet on what lies ahead for its hit role-playing franchise. Aside from Fable Fortune, a free-to-play digital card developed by ex-Lionhead employees, the world of Albion has laid dormant since the cancellation of Fable Legends. Despite this, rumor of a new Fable game has been circulating for some time now, with many expecting a franchise return.

A new report has emerged today supporting these rumors, with sources telling Eurogamer that a new Fable game is around the corner. According to the report, the next Fable will be a story and character-focused open-world action role-playing game (RPG), headed by "Playground Games" – the studio behind Forza's Horizon spin-off series.

Sources have told the publication that development will take place at Playground's recently opened office in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Work on the project is supposedly still in the early stages, with development among a dedicated team of 200. If true, this would indicate its public debut is still some time off, let alone its final release.

According to Eurogamer, Microsoft drew inspiration from last year's success of Horizon Zero Dawn on PlayStation 4. As an exclusive to Sony's consoles, the game proved that strong single-player experiences can still see success in the industry, despite a widespread shift toward "games as a service" titles.

Although the revival of the Fable franchise would be welcomed by many, it remains to be seen how Microsoft would approach this project. Not only did Microsoft Studios cut ties with the franchise's former developers – the project is reportedly starting from scratch and ditching all previous assets from Fable Legends. With a fresh team, this may offer a unique take on the franchise, though abandons much of the talent that backed previous entries.

For now, the future of the Fable franchise remains uncertain. Signs have pointed towards Fable's revival in the past and this latest report further backs these claims. As always, make sure to take these rumors lightly until an official announcement from Microsoft – although we may be waiting some time for it to do so.

Fable II and Fable III are already a part of the growing list of Xbox 360 titles that are backward compatible with Xbox One, but you'll soon get to return to the original as well. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has confirmed that Microsoft is currently working on bringing Fable Anniversary, a version of the Xbox original that was released for the 360, to backward compatibility.

Fable Anniversary offered an updated take on the popular original. In addition to Fable's RPG gameplay in which every choice had an impact on your character, the Anniversary release completely overhauled the graphics for the Xbox 360 era. New textures and models, a new lighting system, and a new interface were a breath of fresh air for the game. More additions, like achievements, a new save system, and the inclusion of content form the Lost Chapters expansion rounded things out.

There's no word on when to expect Fable Anniversary to be added, but fans of the series will be pleased to know it is indeed being worked on. For now, you can grab the game digitally for $39.99 at Microsoft, or around $23 on Amazon for a physical copy.

• See at Amazon
• See at Microsoft

The Fable franchise has been dragged through a lot of mud in recent years, following several unsuccessful projects which deviated from its role-playing roots. After the release of a scaled-down arcade game, an on-rails Kinect experience and a remaster, the series found itself dropping the identity grounded in its earlier titles.

Coming off a rocky few years, the cancellation of the cooperative RPG, Fable Legends, put the future of the series in jeopardy. With the game's creator having closed its doors, the series seemingly found itself lost in limbo without a developer.

It's now been seven years since the last Fable RPG, and fans are clearly clamoring for another experience set in its rich universe. While we've still yet to hear of another true Fable title, Fable Fortune looks to be the next step toward reviving the seemingly abandoned franchise.

Previously developed alongside Fable Legends at Lionhead Studios, Fable Fortune is a free-to-play collectible card game (CCG) built for console and PC. Although never publicly announced, it has been embraced by Flaming Fowl Studios – a team created by former veterans of the Fable franchise. Gaining public interest through a successful Kickstarter campaign, the studio since secured external funding to complete the project.

While the game's final release for Xbox One and Windows 10 is still a little while off, we spent some time with an in-progress version of Fable Fortune. Here's what to expect from the game's Early Access release.

With Fable's legacy having been solidified in the RPG space, Fable Fortune strives to reach a somewhat different demographic than the main line of games. In response to the success of titles like Hearthstone, which have found a clear following across multiple platforms, a number of big publishers have already begun to invest in the digital-card genre.

However, entering a crowded market, Fable Fortune needs to prove itself as a standalone CCG. Coming from a unique angle of resurrecting an existing franchise, the game must consider its established RPG roots while offering concepts that appeal to fans of the CCG genre.

While Fable Fortune's gameplay doesn't diverge hugely from a common card game formula, clear influences from previous Fable RPGs can be seen across its core mechanics. One of the most prevalent aspects of this is Fable's renowned alignment system, which changes the abilities offered by cards, depending on your morality as a player. This aims to add a new layer of skill to traditional card gameplay, by putting more choice in the hands of the player.

Though some traditional characteristics of digital card games still return, an effort appears to have been made to ensure each attribute of Fable Fortune fits into the Fable universe. From both card designs and their underlying abilities, there are clear influences from the world paved by Lionhead during the past decade.

The game also borrows from the existing narrative established in previous games, making Fable Fortune a welcoming experience for fans invested in the world laid out by the original RPGs. Looking at the current collection of cards, it's clear that each design somehow fits into the overarching lore. Between the artistic approach, setting and the simply quirkiness, Flaming Fowl certainly aims to retain the existing persona associated with the Fable world.

The surrounding online ecosystem which supports Fable Fortune also appears to have seen a significant amount of attention, with a focus on pulling in both casual and competitive crowds. The game's free-to-play model and familiarity to existing digital card games look to make Fable Fortune relatively easy to pick up, with a deeper competitive scene available for those who chose to pursue it.

Both player-versus-player (PvP) seasons and cooperative challenges will be offered on fortnightly basis, providing access to tiered rewards for a limited time period. By earning medals based on your performance, you'll be able to access rewards switched out every two weeks. This system will also be used to push new cards into Fable Fortune, by adding these rewards to the card pool after each season concludes.

With a "games-as-a-service" model, Fable Fortune will rely heavily on microtransactions for its revenue. Although digital card packs will be earnable in-game, real-world currency can also be spent on these randomized packs. This hopes to introduce an enticing route to pursue, without breaking the balance of gameplay. Although Lionhead hopes this will make for a level playing field, that is still to be proven with a real-world community.

Fable Fortune looks like a great free-to-play title for both Xbox One and Windows 10 gamers, offering an appealing premise for both CCG veterans and fans of the Fable franchise. Building up a framework for a competitive scene looks to be promising, provided the team can manage and build up Fable Fortune around the demands of its community.

See at Microsoft

Updated July 25, 2017: Refreshed with links to buy now that Fable Fortune is available in Game Preview for Xbox and Windows 10.

The Kickstarter fundraising campaign for the collectible card RPG spinoff Fable Fortune has been canceled several days before it was to end. Developers Flaming Flow Studios says they have secured outside funding to keep making the game, which is based on Microsoft's Fable game franchise.

Flaming Flow actually released an alpha build of Fable Fortune to many backers of its Kickstarter campaign earlier this month. In an update on its Kickstarter page, the developer thanks those backers and players for a "positive, constructive, and downright entertaining experience." It added:

All Kickstarter backers will now be given access to the Fable Fortune alpha and they will be moved over to the closed beta version when it is ready to be released.

Sign up for the closed beta of Fable Fortune{.cta .large}

As promised, developers Flaming Fowl Studios, made up of ex-Lionhead team members, has launched its Kickstarter fund raising campaign for Fable Fortune, a free-to-play digital card game set in Microsoft's Fable universe. It will be released for the Xbox One and PC in early 2017.

The minimum goal for the campaign to be successful is $365,385, or £250,000, but the game does have a number of stretch goals to add content, all the way to £700,000 ( about $1,025,314) to fully fund the Xbox One version. Here is Flaming Fowl's humorous description of Fable Fortune:

Fable Fortune was in development at Lionhead for 18 months before Microsoft made the decision to close the developer earlier this year. The team members of Flaming Fowl have received permission from Microsoft to continue its development. The game will be made in collaboration with another UK developer, Mediatonic. Android and iOS versions of Fable Fortune are also planned for sometime in the future.

Support Fable Fortune on Kickstarter

A small group of former Lionhead Studios developers are hard at work on a new Fable title in the form of a digital card game called Fable Fortune. The game was actually in development at Lionhead prior to the studio's closure, and now Flaming Fowl Studios has been allowed by Microsoft to continue its development. The studio aims to release Fable Fortune for PC and Xbox One in late 2017.

From IGN:

Fable Fortune will also feature quests during some matches, challenging you to use certain types of cards, or even make moral choices as you could in the original Fable games. These choices, for good or evil, will impact your character, which in turn can even morph some of your cards.

Though Flaming Fowl has Microsoft's blessing to use the Fable IP, it is turning to Kickstarter in order to finance and publish the game. The campaign will run for four weeks, and will kick off on Tuesday, May 31 at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Lionhead Studios co-founder Peter Molyneux says that he would " totally be up for" making Fable 4 after he finishes his current project, and if someone at Microsoft asked him.

In an extensive feature on the history of the now-closed Lionhead Studios at Eurogamer, Molyneux states:

Microsoft officially closed Lionhead and cancelled development of the free-to-play RPG Fable Legends in late April. The feature article at Eurogamer goes in depth on the many games the studio released during its lifetime, along with its many canceled projects and prototypes like Milo & Kate, Project Opa and others.

The article also offers some behind-the-scenes information on the development of Fable Legends, and claims that $75 million was spent developing the game before Microsoft decided to cancel it for the Xbox One and Windows 10. The story also claims that the game was very close to entering open beta. After Microsoft's decision to close Fable Legends, the story also seems to confirm previous rumors that a group of Lionhead team members tried to keep the game going under the name "Project Phoenix":

The Eurogamer article on Lionhead's history is definitely worth a read if you are interested in the rise and fall of one of the game industry's most famous studios.

A new report claims Microsoft received several serious offers to acquire its UK-based Lionhead Studios. However, the company turned them down because it was unwilling to sell the studio's Fable franchise as well.

Microsoft announced its plans to potentially close Lionhead in early March, after the UK government-required consultancy period expired. That period came and went, so Microsoft officially shut down the studio in late April. According to Kotaku, there were many buyers interested in acquiring Lionhead:

Lionhead was working on the free-to-play RPG Fable Legends for the Xbox One and Windows 10 before it closed its doors.

We're also giving away a copy of Tom Clancy's The Division to one lucky commenter! Simply leave a reply and join the discussion for a chance to win.

Every week, I give my take on some of the biggest Xbox news, rumors and talking points in one handy post every weekend. You can also rely on this weekly column to catch up with all the latest game releases.

Welcome to the latest edition of This Week in Xbox One News.

Microsoft shutters Fable Legends, Project Knoxville

The biggest news of the past week is the fact that Microsoft closed down Danish studio, Press Play, and U.K.-based Lionhead Studios. Lionhead is, of course, famed for the Fable RPG series. The studio was previously led by Peter Molyneux, who became a little notorious for overpromising and underdelivering. Press Play is perhaps best known for Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, which was among the first games launched for Xbox One's Games with Gold program. Windows Central readers may know the studio for its unique Windows Phone titles Max and the Magic Marker, Tentacles: Enter the Mind, and Enter the Dolphin.

Both Press Play and Lionhead had been working on relatively experimental titles for Microsoft Studios. Press Play were building Project Knoxville, a cutthroat multiplayer survival game inspired by The Hunger Games, and Lionhead were working a 4v1 free-to-play spinoff of the Fable franchise, Fable Legends.

I played both Fable Legends and Project Knoxville in early stages of their development. The Knoxville client I played was little more than a prototype, having been the chosen concept from a choice of three as part of the game's open development campaign. Fable Legends was a little different. Even back at Gamescom, Fable Legends felt well realized, with stunning design and enjoyable combat.

Microsoft base a lot of their decisions on telemetry data, and in mid-February, Fable Legends sent me a survey to request feedback on my experiences with its closed beta, which included questions on whether I had been enjoying various aspects of the game. To me, it seems possible that Microsoft pulled the game based on engagement stats gleaned from Fable Legends' closed beta — certainly not a knee-jerk reaction they took lightly. Legends was always going to be a hard sell with the core crowd, some of whom reacted quite negatively to its free-to-play nature.

It's hard to say how well Project Knoxville would've fared out in the wild, but at least, where Fable is concerned, I feel as though the post-Molyneux Lionhead were never given the chance to help the quirky RPG franchise achieve its full potential. UK law dictates that companies go through a 30-day consultation period before closing, which could be why Lionhead reappeared on the Microsoft Studios website after the initial announcement. There's always the chance that Lionhead could retrofit Fable Legends' delicious DX12 art assets into a more traditional title, but there's been little indication of that happening. It's looking pretty bleak. I'll leave you with this comment from Phil Spencer on the matter:

Either way, I think we can unite in wishing Press Play, Lionhead and everyone affected by the cuts all the best in the future.

CD Projekt RED reveal impressive financials, future roadmap

RPG superheroes CD Projekt RED have given us a bit of insight into just how well the company has done following their runaway success, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. In 2014, the company posted revenues of $25 million, a comparatively small figure in the world of AAA games. Last year was a game changer for the studio, which has now revealed revenues of $200 million, with almost $90 million in profit.

All of this is a result of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which for me represents the best game of this generation so far. CD Projekt RED's ambitious and dark fantasy RPG has won hundreds of awards, many of which include 2015 Game of the Year. CD Projekt RED revealed that The Witcher series has now sold 20 million units to date, as well as some of the studio's plans moving forward.

This year, CD Projekt RED will release the second expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Blood and Wine, set to add an entirely new area to the game. The Polish studio will also launch a separate game, in a game format they've "previously unexplored." Could it be VR? Standalone Hearthstone competitor based on Gwent from The Witcher 3? Plenty of possibilities there.

The company's strategy document also lists a somewhat vague 2017-2021 launch window for their upcoming sci-fi RPG, Cyberpunk 2077, another AAA title, with additional media content and product lines for their existing franchises (which so far, only includes The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077).

A Dualshockers source offered further insights into CD Projekt RED's plans, owing to comments made by Studio Head Adam Badowski. He stated that Cyberpunk 2077, about which we have little information, is "even better, even bigger, even more revolutionary" than its original concept, which he hopes will be a "truly outstanding game."

CD Projekt RED's full financial report can be read right here, and contains additional information about how the studio plan to expand its PC game distribution platform, GOG.com, and loads of awesome pie charts.

See The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Amazon

The Division's Year One content plans, Far Cry Primal dominates February sales

Despite the slowing down of the Assassin's Creed franchise and talks of a hostile Vivendi take over, Ubisoft have a few reasons to celebrate — at least for the time being. Far Cry Primal took the crown as February's most popular title in the U.S., and The Division has been a huge success story for Ubisoft thus far, becoming the fastest-selling title in the studio's history.

I'll be posting my early impressions of The Division at the start of next week, but I'm more than happy to recommend the game to fans of strategic cover shooters, loot-'em-ups like Borderlands and Diablo, and RPG shooters like Destiny and Mass Effect. If you've yet to pick up the game and are interested, you can check out the first 3 hours on our Twitch channel over here.

As a connected shooter with an "end game" that persists after the story is finished, Ubisoft is looking to keep the game fresh with regular content drops. Some of these will be in the form of paid DLC expansions, either sold separately or as part of the game's season pass, but others will be included in free updates. The first free update will add Incursions to the game, which should form the basis of the game's high level "raid" content, providing squad-focussed activities for greater loot. The trailer above provided further insights.

Have you been playing The Division? What do you think so far? Hit the comments!

See The Division on Amazon

Rocket League developer Psyonix teases new game mode

I suspect that Rocket League is a key driver in Xbox's near-doubled February usage statistics, and Psyonix is showing no signs of slowing their push to keep Rocket League fresh. The game already picked up a Batmobile-shaped DLC, new cars based on Dying Light's vehicular update, and introduced an ice hockey mode as a permanent playlist.

Recently, Psyonix teased a basketball-like mode in an image posted on Twitter. It'll be interesting to see if the developer needs to rein in Rocket League's chaotic physics to make basketball work well, as shooting the ball into a hoop will potentially require a lot more precision than bashing it into a traditional goal. We'll have to wait and see!

Check out these fresh Gears of War 4 screenshots

Game Informer has received exclusive access to Gears of War 4, and are releasing a steady stream of new information about Microsoft's upcoming third person shooter. We know that the game features Marcus Fenix's son, set some 25 years after Gears of War 3. Now, Game Informer has released a gallery of screenshots from the upcoming title, which developer The Coalition has described as a showcase for the Xbox One's hardware capabilities. Check them out below!

See Gears of War 4 on Amazon

Giveaway – Tom Clancy's The Division for Xbox One

This week, it's only natural to give away a copy of Tom Clancy's The Division. Ubisoft's connected shooter has already shattered various sales records, becoming the studio's fastest selling game to date. Taking place in a ruined New York City, The Division follows a player-created Strategic Homeland Division agent on a mission to restore order and unravel the mystery of what caused the pandemic that toppled civilization. Join the discussion in the comments for a totally random chance to win!

The winner was Apocd! Check back next week for another giveaway!

ICYMI - Some of Windows Central's biggest Xbox articles of the week

• Microsoft hints Gears of War 4 could be coming to the PC
• Pit People, from the makers of Castle Crashers, brings creativity to the strategy genre
• The Turing Test will wrack your brain in August on Xbox One and PC
• Annual BAFTA Game Awards nominees revealed
• Upcoming Xbox One Preview Program build will once again let you snap achievements app
• You could win a trip to visit Rare and play Sea of Thieves for Xbox One and Windows 10
• Microsoft clarifies its game studio plans, Project Spark servers have been offline for days
• Microsoft may offer compensation for recent Xbox Live outages
• Gears of War 4 to feature new cast of characters and local multiplayer
• The Division's first two expansions coming to Xbox One 30 days before other platforms

New Xbox One game releases for the week ending March 13th, 2016

Blast 'Em Bunnies - Action & Adventure, Family, Shooter - Nnooo

"Blast Bunnies and collect coins to upgrade your weapons. Can you defend your burrow from their onslaught? Pick them off using a carrot rifle, pelt their furry hides with the watermelon pip machine gun or wreak havoc with the runner bean laser."

MagNets: Fully Charged - Action & Adventure, Other, Platformer - Total Monkery

"Polarity City is under threat: the Bloxbots have gone rogue! Usually rather stupid, Polarity City's favourite maintenance cubes have suddenly become dangerous. Far from fixing things, the Bloxbots are destroying everything in sight... and why do they even HAVE lasers, anyway?"

HITMAN - Action & Adventure - Square Enix LTD

"There is a world beyond ours. Beyond nations, justice, ethics. It never sleeps. It exists everywhere. And once you enter....there is no going back. Welcome to the World of Assassination. You are Agent 47, the world's ultimate assassin."

Cel Damage HD - Action & Adventure, Racing & Flying - Finish Line Games

"Take control of the world's nuttiest cartoon drivers to demolish your friends with insane weapons and wacky arena hazards!"

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition - Action & Adventure, Platformer - Moon Studios

"The forest of Nibel is dying. After a powerful storm sets a series of devastating events in motion, Ori must journey to find courage and confront a dark nemesis to save the forest of Nibel."

Teslagrad - Platformer - Rain Games

"Teslagrad is a 2D puzzle platformer with action elements, where magnetism and other electromagnetic powers are the key to discovering the secrets kept in the long abandoned Tesla Tower."

TOM CLANCY'S THE DIVISION - Action & Adventure - Ubisoft Massive

"New-York City, today. An unprecedented pandemic has struck the city during the fever of Black Friday. One by one, basic services fail. In only days, without food or water, society collapses into chaos."

Tetraminos - Puzzle & Trivia - Bigben Interactive

"The classic arcade game is back in a supercharged version! For beginners or veterans, Tetraminos offers an easy-to-learn, limitless challenge."

And that's a wrap!

I continue to be saddened by the situation over at Microsoft Studios, but it seems to be the reality of AAA game development at that level. Activision, EA, and other major publishers cancel projects and close down studios on a regular basis, but it's quite rare to see one as legendary and beloved as Lionhead up on the chopping block. Hopefully, we'll get more good news to balance out the bad in the run up to Build, GDC, and E3.

What have you guys been playing this week? What do you think of this week's Xbox One news?

Xbox One owners can now play 16 additional Xbox 360 games on the console. Microsoft has added more games to the Xbox One backwards compatibility list, after officially launching the feature in November with over 100 Xbox 360 games.

Here's the full list of Xbox 360 games that can now be played on the Xbox One:

• Braid
• DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION
• Doritos Crash Course
• Fable III
• Halo: Reach
• Hydro Thunder
• Iron Brigade
• Kane & Lynch 2
• Motocross Madness
• MS. PAC-MAN
• Peggle
• Portal: Still Alive
• Spelunky
• Splosion Man
• Ticket to Ride
• Zuma's Revenge!

Microsoft plans to keep adding new games to the Xbox One backwards compatibility list on a monthly basis, and has already announced that BioShock, BioShock Infinite and Call of Duty: Black Ops will be among those titles.

Source: Xbox Wire

The upcoming free-to-play multiplayer RPG Fable Legends will take a bit longer to reach open beta status. Developer Lionhead Studios and publisher Microsoft have confirmed that the open beta test for Windows 10 and Xbox One won't make its previously announced launch by the end of 2015 amd instead will be launches sometime in the spring of 2016.

In a post on the game's official webpage. Lionhead stated:

The good news is that Lionhead will be inviting 100,000 people to participate in the current closed beta test for Fable Legends over the next few weeks.

Sign up to be picked for the Fable Legends closed beta test{.cta .large}

Source: Fable Legends

Lionhead Studios has announced that Fable Legends, the upcoming multiplayer game for Xbox One and Windows 10, will be free-to-play. The studio explains that everything will be balanced to ensure those who opt not to purchase anything in-game will be able to be just as strong as those who invest in their characters. They want you to have fun.

The team behind the title will be sticking to three commitments:

• Open: you can play to the end without spending a penny.
• Fair: everything affecting gameplay can be earned by playing the game.
• Generous: continuous stream of updates with new quests for players to enjoy.

So how exactly will free-to-play work in Fable Legends? The team will deploy silver, the in-game currency everyone will earn through playing as a villain or heroes. This currency can be used to purchase things to make your characters and creators more powerful. Gold is the premium currency, which can be used to purchase many items also available for silver, and can only be obtained by investing real money.

The announcement also went into some detail about hero rotation, which will include four heroes that can be played for free. Silver or gold can be used to unlock heroes and progress is saved, even if you only play them when they're free. Loot can be obtained through playing the game, but is also available for silver and gold. A variety of outfits can only be bought with gold.

In Fable Legends, you'll be able to enjoy and play the game for free, but if you want to get ahead without investing too much time, or wish for some advanced customisation options you'll need to cough up some money. Fable Legends will be released later this year.

Source: Lionhead Studios