Microsoft has announced a delay for one of its anticipated first-party titles originally scheduled for 2025. At its prominent Xbox showcase last June, the company revealed that the reboot of Fable would be released this year. However, this is no longer true, as Xbox has postponed the fantasy RPG’s release to 2026.
Craig Duncan, the new head of Xbox Game Studios, discussed this update in the latest episode of the Official Xbox Podcast. He noted, “We had previously set the release for Fable in 2025, but we’ve decided to extend the development time, shifting the launch to 2026. I understand this may not be the news fans were hoping for, but I want to assure everyone that the wait will be rewarding.”
The reboot, developed by Playground Games, the creators behind the Forza Horizon series, was first announced back in 2020, with several teasers released since then. While the delay may be disheartening for fans eager for Fable—especially with the last mainline installment having launched 15 years ago—Xbox is in a strong position to allow for additional time in development.
The gaming division at Microsoft has a robust lineup for the immediate future. Avowed was just released, and the highly anticipated South of Midnight is on the horizon. Upcoming titles like Doom: The Dark Ages are set for release in May. Other anticipated titles for this year include The Outer Worlds 2 and Ninja Gaiden 4. Additionally, there are numerous third-party games set to arrive on Game Pass and Microsoft is also expanding its game offerings on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. Therefore, Xbox appears to be well-positioned during this delay as Playground focuses on perfecting Fable.
Duncan has expressed that the studio aims to create “the most visually stunning version of Albion to date,” infusing it with a unique perspective and British humor. He recently visited Playground to experience some gameplay and assess the project’s progress. Duncan shared some early gameplay footage during the podcast, beginning at 15:55, showcasing the beauty of even the pre-alpha environments. Fans remain hopeful that Playground will leverage this additional time to enhance the game’s quality.