I think this is a really good counterpoint to all of the speculation, and a note I should have included in the OP. That element, alongside the lack of any online-specific job postings, are strong evidence to the contrary of my thread’s premise!
Here is the link, in case anyone missed it:
This is an odd take. HZD didn’t break any new ground and it wasn’t a new, unique type of game. Third-player action RPGs are a dime a dozen. Ubi Soft exists for this genre.
I also recall a job posting by PG a few years ago and it mentioned HZD too. I believe it was then still implied that PG was making a open world game and at that time it seemed they were looking for interested parties. I remember back on RE how we all were like “come on MS,get on this, you got a real nice history with PG.”
Also, wasn’t it then said by a insider that MS agreed to take on the project but had it changed into Fable?
I am glad you remembered the article as well lol. Yeah, there is little evidence in my opinion that the game is going to be like Destiny and I think Playground will stick closely to the established formula to get their feet under the table so to speak.
I don’t think they will go so far as to make it a shared world experience like Destiny. I expect people will be able to play the entire game and never see another player, let alone interact with them.
That being said, when you look at the studio and what they prioritize in their games… When you look at Fable 1 with the Heroes Guild and Arena and just the Xbox focus on social gaming. I think it would be pretty shocking to see Playground not go at least as far as letting you visit and participate in your friend’s Albion. And I throughly expect a Heroes Guild 2.0 that includes single player and multiplayer “quests” in place of raids or strikes.
God, I hope not. Fable needs to be a single player RPG first and foremost
I expect Fable to have a story but it will have a similar open nature like Forza Horizon. It wont be a looter, I dont think so. I suspect the coop might be more of a shared world thing but the big focus will be to do the hell you want, make stupid decisions, create a one in the kind character, have housing etc.
Fable was always about expressing yourself and messing with the world while enjoing a simle plot with many funny side quests. I think playground will do this and turn it up to 11. Such a thing is perfectly playable in coop.
singleplayer focused story driven rich campaign with maybe Summon style Co-Op like Fromsoft games, that’s all I ask.
Please don’t fucking make it a Fable Legends 2.0 after all the fanbase has gone through, waiting for a “proper” Fable for more than a decade and it just being an online live service game just feels incredibly tone deaf to me. But I get OP’s points completely and there’s probably good reason to expect Fable to have some online shared world elements at least, coming from FH.
Has to have great SP. I coudln’t care less about Multiplayer.
I don’t like Destiny at all. Clearly its improved but Destiny 1 was terrible.
The second Playground team was greenlit after Microsoft closed Lionhead and Forza Horizon 3 was very successful.
It was announced weeks before Horizon Zero Dawns release.
It’s also, always been Fable
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/amp/2017-04-11-hitman-art-director-joins-playground-games
“We’re laying the foundations for a project based on a spectacular IP, and will be looking to grow a world-class team.”
I anticipate it’s going to be a narrative 3rd person action RPG with some loot, spells, and puzzle solving. I have it more akin to Zelda than to Destiny.
I really hope new Fable is nothing like Destiny to be honest. I’m not at all interested in disappointing storylines, repetitive Raids & seasonal content to chase on the hamster wheel. None of that is Fable.
Fable is a lighthearted but deceptively affecting fantasy ARPG with light sim elements & a strong sense of ye old British identity. Yes, the previous games had optional multi-player but that was never the focus.
I’m basically looking for roughly the same kind of thing again. I’m not anticipating any huge changes but of course I don’t expect an exact copy of the old stuff.
I trust that the people at Playground know what they’re working with & want to make the fans happy. I think if they had the urge to do something completely different, then they would’ve created an entirely new ip.
Thanks for posting this. I had no idea that Playground had already made a start on building their 2nd team that long ago. In my mind it was about 2018 at the earliest when we first heard rumours. I also thought it was something that Phil Spencer had pushed for, in response to Horizon Zero Dawn’s success.
It’s funny how the memory can play tricks with you.
what i loved about the og Fable was the reactivity of the world around you, don’t know how that would work in a shared world
I wouldn’t mind Scalebound-esque cooperative dungeons.
I think you are overthinking it. The simple answer it will be a Fable 2 on steroids.
Am I overthinking? Most definitely!
I would prefer what you’re suggesting, aswell. In fact, I’d love a commitment to building the best possible single player Fable - with coop added on after launch.
I think co-op will be day one just like fable 2.
I would love a mix of Fable 2 and Fallout 76.
Single player focus with co-op option and a shared world, and some sim aspect with your own house or own domain in Albion that you can manage, expand, decorate or build things.
Some people may think that this is irrational but if this is game where I have to see another real player anytime at all, that will probably be enough for me to not play it.
I’m cool with the option of a friend joining for some co-op but I really do not want another shared world game, especially a shared world Fable game. I want world building, world simulations, NPC AI, and story/player progression pushed to the next level. I don’t want quests, the story, or design tailored for shared world where you almost need other people to get the most out of the game.