Fable Delayed Until 2026 For PlayStation 5 Release

Although it may not come as a complete surprise, Fable will now officially not be released until 2026. Nearly sixteen years will pass between Fable's 2026 release and Fable 3, the last installment, which came out in 2010. Everyone, including Fable fans who were expecting the game to be released in 2025, seems to be completely mistaken.

Despite Fable's planned release in Q3 of 2025, we weren't prepared for it since we hadn't seen or heard anything about it and because, after such a long period between announcements, the release date felt excessive.

The formal announcement came in an Xbox podcast, and it has now been pushed out until next year. Craig Duncan, head of Xbox Game Studios, has confirmed that they would dedicate a little extra effort to ensure it is of the highest quality. Obviously, Xbox puts a lot of emphasis on this game in particular, so it proves to be something they decided on for dire reasons. Undoubtedly, Playground Games is well-known for developing the open-world spectacular, Forza Horizon 5, which was also delayed, and Fable seems to follow a similar spirit.

Playground Games, however, dropped a Pre-Alpha trailer when the delay news dropped. As nice as the new CGI is, it's much easier to see the actual gameplay and what Playground has been planning to do with the game. The sight of you galloping around on your horse while battling man-sized insects and discovering secret doors is really tempting, and everything is breathtaking.

Sure, everything might change given that it's a pre-alpha, but I must say, the delay might help the game even get better. Making sure that that quality is ensured before the release is all that matters to us, but I think it will be in keeping with what today's gamers want, which may be something with a more realistic appearance. It would definitely be great if Fables' rather distinctive visual design continues in some form since it has always stood out from other games of its period.

The question now becomes whether they can postpone its release to make it available on other platforms, especially PlayStation 5. Nobody is more surprised by the news that Xbox is launching games on other platforms. Perhaps they are considering releasing it on PlayStation 5 if they anticipate the game becoming popular either before or shortly after its Xbox release. Several Xbox-exclusive games have already been confirmed for PlayStation 5, and with Indiana Jones getting a PS5 release, it's hard to miss for Fable.

As Phil Spencer has stated, "If there is a game that we think fits, then we are going to get it into the hands of other players as much as possible." However, it is interesting to note that this statement was repeated in the same podcast where the Fable delay was confirmed, which suggests that the delay may indicate that they intend to release it on PlayStation alongside it or, at the very least, prepare it for release.

Naturally, the Fable series has never been available on PlayStation. Given Xbox's multiplatform strategy, nothing is out of the question in terms of what you may think would only exist as an Xbox game. Even the Gears of War's rumored remaster or eventual PlayStation release is still the subject of a lot of debate. Otherwise, what could Xbox possibly improve more for a game that went into production back in 2020?

Fable was partially revealed in 2018, followed by an official announcement in 2020. In 2023, we finally received the official trailer, and last year, there was another one revealed at the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase. In truth, the town's setting and these bits and pieces look wonderful, but they also seem a bit like CGI, not actual gameplay. However, we look forward to additional updates from Playground Games, perhaps along with an extensive gameplay trailer with a release date in the summer.