Shpeshal Nick Baker has shared a huge rumor about Fable.
In the latest episode of the Xbox Era Podcast, Nick said:
I’ve heard it from two different people now that Fable may slip to 2027. And that’s not “Doom/Gloom, there’s something wrong with the game, problems.” Just hearing that it’s taking a little bit longer than they expected.
What Microsoft Has Said So Far
There’s been a lot of rumors about Fable’s official release date, so we’ll simplify things for you here. In June 2024’s Xbox Games Showcase, Microsoft announced that the game was coming to PC and Xbox Series X|S in 2025.
And then, in February 2025 Xbox Game Studios’ head Craig Duncan announced that Fable would be delayed to 2026. Duncan did not hint at any new issues or troubles in making the game, and even said he was excited with what he had played. He simply stated that they were giving developer PlayGround Games more time.
Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer reiterated this new date in this year’s Xbox Games Showcase. Spencer said:
…I’m excited to share that players will get to celebrate 25 years of Xbox with Fable, the next Forza, Gears of War: E-Day and the return of a classic that’s been with us from the beginning.
Could Microsoft Have Decided To Delay Fable Earlier This Year?
If Microsoft decided to delay Fable one more year, they had not yet made that decision by at least last month. It is possible that this is something that Playground Games and Xbox Game Studios is already thinking of, given the pace that they are working on.
As we know, games get harder to work on the closer they are to the finish line. What starts out as vague goals that they try to move towards becomes harder to reach the closer they get to completion.
What Other Reason Could There Be For A Delay?
But there’s another unhappy reason that could be why Fable could suddenly get delayed again. Microsoft just launched another round of layoffs across the company last week, and a rumor claimed there was ‘negative chatter’ coming out of Microsoft’s UK-based video game studios. Playground Games is one such studio, based in Leamington Spa.
We didn’t get confirmation that layoffs did happen at Playground Games yet. But we do know that Eidos-Montréal, who were also working on Fable, had layoffs last April.
We have no doubts about Shpeshal Nick’s assertion that this does not reflect poorly on the game itself. Jez Corden saw alpha footage of the game last November 2024 and he said that it ‘looks fucking fantastic.’
Unfortunately, this could be a situation where circumstances beyond the control of Playground Games, and Microsoft’s gaming division as a whole. Microsoft allegedly told their game studios they still want to make games of all shapes and sizes. We can only hope that they are good at their word to those developers and to us gamers.
