Of the many big projects in development at Xbox Game Studios, Playground Games’ Fable is arguably one of its biggest. Announced in August 2020, the RPG has been in the works for more than four years. However, a recent rumor about the development facing some trouble. This came from Game on Daily’s Gaz on Colt Eastwood’s XNC Podcast.
A “source” reportedly revealed that the game had to be scaled down. The team apparently faced trouble with its ForzaTech Engine. “The gameplay mechanics were eluding them, they couldn’t retrofit into the engine.” One of the main issues was apparently the lack of expertise “in the open-world gameplay with different mechanics” so this had to be brought in-house. Gaz clarified that there was “nothing to worry about” but that the game may be further away than people think.
In response to this, senior producer Amie Loake, who joined Playground Games as a senior producer earlier this year, tweeted, “I wanted to clear something up about scoping; it is a normal, necessary and healthy part of game development. I can guarantee that every single AAA game you’ve ever played will have gone through scoping regularly during development.
“It’s intention is to make sure the team is focused under one clear vision and can get it made in the time they have without killing themselves. Games that haven’t been scoped correctly often have delays and crunch, both we should be aiming to avoid whenever possible.”
It’s possible that this “scaling down” was more about realigning the team with a clearer vision, as opposed to implementing extraneous mechanics. At this point, it’s hard to say. While Loake didn’t specifically address certain points from the rumor, there also haven’t been a lot of reports regarding troubled development.
VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb has previously said the title won’t be released before 2023. Xbox boss Phil Spencer says it’s amazing and “can’t wait to show more”, so there’s that. Perhaps it will appear at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase on June 12th. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.
Fable is currently in development for Xbox Series X/S and PC.
I wanted to clear something up about scoping; it is a normal, necessary and healthy part of game development. I can guarantee that every single AAA game you've ever played will have gone through scoping regularly during development. 1/2
— Amie (@Mrs_Spuddles) June 1, 2022
It's intention is to make sure the team are focused under one clear vision and can get it made in the time they have without killing themselves. Games that haven't been scoped correctly often have delays and crunch, both we should be aiming to avoid whenever possible. 2/2
— Amie (@Mrs_Spuddles) June 1, 2022
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