New Fable from Playground Games

[LESS T_T]

https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/fable

Spoiler

Playground Games, a UK developer of Forza Horizon racing series, will be working on an open world action RPG: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...-and-hellblade-devs-for-open-world-action-rpg

They've set up a new studio for this, and going to hire more than 200 employees. They're not owned by Microsoft btw, but who knows who they're working for.

Playground Games hires GTA V, Metal Gear Solid and Hellblade devs for open-world action RPG
Forza Horizon developer also secures new 200-person studio, which will bring headcount up to 400

Key talent has been brought into the fold at Playground Games as the firm ramps up efforts on its first ever non-racing project.

GamesIndustry.biz revealed the developer behind Forza Horizon was planning to open a second studioearlier this year, and that the new team will be working on a non-racing game - now described to us as an "open-world action RPG."

The newest addition to this project is Sean Eyestone, who takes on the role of production director and leaves his role as senior producer at Battlefront II developer EA DICE. Prior to this, he spent ten years working at Kojima Productions on various Metal Gear Solid games, including open-world entries Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes.

Previous new hires for the second team include chief designer Will Kennedy and principal combat designer Juan Fernandez di Simon. Kennedy joined in July after eight years at Rockstar North, working as level and game designer then senior online mission and flow designer on Grand Theft Auto V.

Meanwhile, di Simon joined in October after working as senior designer on Ninja Theory's Hellblade. Before this, he spent three years at Rime developer Tequila Works.

The hires coincide with news that Playground has now secured office space for its second studio within its hometown of Leamington Spa. The new premises were actually revealed by property advisor Bromwich Hardy via its blog.

Playground's second studio will be located at St Albans House and is 17,365 square feet. The company is planning a major refurbishment and will begin by occupying both the ground and first floor, with plans to move into the second floor by the end of 2018.

The office will be home to more than 200 employees, who will all work on Playground's open-world action RPG. Combined with the established Playground studio, this will bring the company's headcount up to more than 400.

"We're delighted that we've secured a second studio to house our new team," CEO Gavin Raeburn tells GamesIndustry.biz. "This is a hugely exciting project that is already attracting world-class talent to Playground.

"The combination of new blood and experienced Playground team members is already showing huge promise and I'm excited to see this talented group contribute to Playground's continued success."

Horizon: One Dawn, I bet.

 

[Infinitron]

That is not dead which can eternal lie...

https://wccftech.com/ex-lionhead-interesting-choice-fable-4/

Ex Lionhead Dev: Microsoft Made An Interesting Choice For Fable 4; Not Studio Gobo’s Electric Square

Fable 4 is possibly the single biggest request that Xbox executives such as Phil Spencer, Mike Ybarra and Aaron Greenberg get from fans on a daily basis via Twitter and elsewhere.

The RPG series set in the whimsical fantasy world of Albion (originally created by Peter Molyneux) used to be a staple of the Xbox brand, but it has lain dormant for a long time now. The last mainline entry, Fable III, launched in 2010 and we all know how Fable Legends was abruptly canceled, which led to the subsequent closure of Lionhead.

Head of Xbox division Phil Spencer said at E3 2016 that there could be a future for the Fable IP, though, and hopes of a Fable 4 have been rekindled earlier this week thanks to the Xbox Live API leak which mentioned a Fable related projected codenamed Wisdom being developed by a UK based studio.

Today, former Lionhead Lead Engine Programmer Don Williamson mentioned on Twitter that he figured out which studio received the assignment to build Fable 4, commenting that it’s an interesting choice. When asked by yours truly whether this team was located in Brighton, East Sussex; according to Williamson, though, no studio based in Brighton could take on such a massive task.

Mmm ok, having no inside information, I totally know who's building Fable 4 now. Interesting choice…

— Don Williamson (@Donzanoid) January 6, 2018

We know that Studio Gobo’s Electric Square is working on a game for Microsoft Studios. However, Electric Square is based in Brighton so by this logic they could be working on something else, perhaps on a smaller scale.

The other major candidate for building Fable 4 among UK studios is none other than Playground Games. They’ve been openly recruiting developers on their website for a triple-A open world RPG and obviously, they have a great relationship with Microsoft having successfully developed the Horizon spin-off Forza franchise – in fact, Forza Horizon 3 is the only 90+ rated game on Metacritic published by Microsoft Studios during this console generation.

One argument that’s been brought up against this possibility is that past openings mentioned “an entirely new AAA open world action RPG” and some had assumed this would mean a new IP.

But the latest opening for Senior Game Designer replaced that “entirely new” label with “exciting, large-scale”.

You’ll join the team and the project at an early stage, giving you the rare opportunity to shape the future of an exciting, large-scale open world action / RPG AAA title from the outset.​

This would be the first action RPG game to be made by Playground Games, which could explain why Williamson would think it’s an interesting choice, so to speak. Fable 4 would be a massive undertaking for anyone and even more so for a studio that still needs to prove itself in this genre.

Then again, it’s all about recruiting the right talent for the job. Guerrilla Games did exactly that for Horizon: Zero Dawn and it worked out wonderfully for them; Playground Games also hired industry veterans who’ve worked on action/open world games like MGSV, GTAV and Hellblade, which is encouraging.

Needless to say, there has been no official confirmation of Fable 4 yet from Microsoft, though the clues are certainly intriguing at this point. An announcement could happen at E3 2018 in June, but fans shouldn’t expect to play the game anytime soon if Playground Games is indeed developing it as they’ve made it very clear that the RPG project is still at an early stage.

We’ll be following any rumors, leaks and official news on this potential comeback. Stay tuned.

 

[Sentinel]

fable was shit who careslol

 

[StrongBelwas]

Well, they can't it any more then it already was.

 

[Jimmious]

Fable 1 was fun for what it was..

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

They can't fuck it up more than Lionhead/Molyneux, so I'm slightly optimistic.

 

[A user named cat]

Fable was one of the funniest fart jokes played on us right next to fatfuck Schafer hyping an old school Lucasarts adventure and delivering a flop for his prepubescent daughter.

 

[Alfgart]

Fable 1 was already shit and the sequels were even worse. Seriously who the hell wants another sequel?

 

[taxalot]

I do.

 

[undecaf]

Fable 1 was already shit

It was pretty harmless game in the end. I don't think it deserves a shit tag anymore than it deserves any real praise.

 

[Zanzoken]

I enjoyed the original Fable and actually replayed it not long ago. It is easy as fuck and has tons of poor design choices, but it is also kinda charming and has some interesting light ARPG combat mechanics if you stick to a build.

The sequels were utter trash though and resurrecting the franchise into something of quality would be a monumental undertaking.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

I was the chicken kicking record holder in all of insertfantasylandnamehere. Kicking chicken is sport and art at the same time. And yes, I frequently farted at peasants back in the day.

 

[deama]

It's hard to believe, but I played through this game 21 times (in a row); though I almost always stopped just before the TLC expansion, didn't like it much.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

That makes absolutely no sense. Horizon games have always been on a 2-year release schedule. Motosport comes out, next year Horizon, next year Motosport.

There's no time in that schedule for them to work on another massive AAA game, especially an RPG, they've only ever made racers. And with Horizon being Xbox most succesful franchise and PG being their most succesful studio, what the fuck would be the point making them work on a different franchise, one that frankly was never that successful to begin with?

I call bullshit.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

A series that was never good.

Fable: The Lost Chapters was overrated. I can see why some people (uneducated people, who haven't played many RPGs) like it, but it wasn't for me. 2 was enjoyable for what it was, console fodder that got shat out at the start of the Xbox 360's life cycle. Fable 3 was hell. Fable: The Journey, who gave a fuck?

What is the point of even discussing this series now?

 

[mikaelis]

I assume you will finally be able to release quiet stinker or u-boot in the bathtub as your ultimate spell.

If not, I shall pass.

 

[RepHope]

I never have been able to enjoy Fable. It just seemed like an extremely shallow and barebones “RPG”. I guess MS realized they needed a WRPG. At this point I’d just reboot the franchise.

 

[Urthor]

Fable has aged horribly, it was barely on the A list of good for what it is games back in the day.

 

[Whiny-Butthurt-Liberal]

Who are the dimwits who give a flying shit about Fable? I mean, the first one was passably fun and dumb but didn't age well at all, the third one so atrocious I had to uninstall it after 30 minutes of gameplay, and the second one is a cucksole exclusive so fuck it.

 

[GrainWetski]

Fable has aged horribly, it was barely on the A list of good for what it is games back in the day.

It's you that has aged, not the game.

It's the exact same shitty/mediocre/good game it was back then.

 

[HoboForEternity]

A series that was never good.

Fable: The Lost Chapters was overrated. I can see why some people (uneducated people, who haven't played many RPGs) like it, but it wasn't for me. 2 was enjoyable for what it was, console fodder that got shat out at the start of the Xbox 360's life cycle. Fable 3 was hell. Fable: The Journey, who gave a fuck?

What is the point of even discussing this series now?

exactly. It wad probably good for the inexperienced.

I mean dragon age origins was the closest my first crpg, and then i thought it was the best rpg ever till i played some more

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Not too proud of it but I'd give it a go.

 

[Mark Richard]

Fable: TLC British Zelda seemed more like a one and done game than the massive franchise Microsoft desperately tried to make it out to be. I still crack out the first one every now and then because despite all the unfulfilled promises, it's actually quite good.

As for the sequels, the third has to be the easiest game ever, though there is a lot of fun to be had if, again, you don't expect anything monocled. The damage feedback is better than ever (hammers recommended here too): humans get blown away, skeletons explode, all of it is very satisfying. Add in a few graphics mods and it's the perfect zero-pressure fantasy trip.

The third was almost unplayable on release. The interface rapidly depletes the stoutest sanity meter. You have to teleport to home base just to check your inventory, and attempting to sprint in town results in accidentally initiating conversations with nearby villagers.

 

[Jacob]

Actually I am interested in playing the first game, but haven't really got the chance. Looks like it has some funny gimmicks that appeals to a select amount of console folks, I've seen it since a friend of mine played it, but the gameplay seems like pure trash though.

 

[Metro]

Fable 1 was fine but added the dumb shit like farting and marriage and other trivial nonsense to appeal to derpies. If you ignore all that crap you have a good-for-what-it-is hack-and-slash arpg.

Actually I am interested in playing the first game, but haven't really got the chance. Looks like it has some funny gimmicks that appeals to a select amount of console folks, I've seen it since a friend of mine played it, but the gameplay seems like pure trash though.

It's routinely $2ish during Steam sales.