Famed developer says ‘it’s crazy’ the RPG series is dormant

Former Lionhead chief Peter Molyneux says he’d "love to" work on a new Fable game.

In an interview with GamesRadar, the famed developer was asked if he thought there might be a Fable 4. "It’s crazy that Fable 4 isn’t being made," he replied. "I would love to do Fable 4, and the studio tried to do it. You’d have to get the original team back together though."

Fable was a series of role-playing games which sought new directions for the genre, including a focus on relationships, personal growth and humor. Over three games, launched between 2004 and 2010, Lionhead created a world spanning the age of legends to the industrial revolution.

Following the release of Fable 3 in 2010, Microsoft-owned Lionhead worked on Kinect game Fable Adventures. The game failed commercially and was widely dismissed by reviewers, largely down to the limits of Kinect. Soon after, Molyneux quit Lionhead to set up a new studio, 22Cans.

Lionhead began work on a multiplayer came called Fable: Legends, in which four heroes teamed up against a villain. However, the game was cancelled earlier this year, and Lionhead was closed down.

Soon after the studio’s closure, details emerged of a plan to develop Fable 4, which was pitched to Microsoft.

“We wanted to hit the late Victorian proper far out Jules Verne shit,” said former art director John McCormack, in an interview with Eurogamer. “It would be darker and grittier. And because it was R-rated it would have the prostitutes and the humor. This is going to be fucking brilliant, and everybody was really into it."

Microsoft turned the pitch down, preferring Fable: Legends, which went on to cost an estimated $75 million.

In his interview, Molyneux talks about Lionhead’s often fraught relationship with Microsoft. "I think it was the sense of humor. You know the British slightly politically incorrect sense of humor, especially with Fable, where we had prostitutes and same-sex marriage. Microsoft were appalled, you know, they were busily going around trying to rub all the nipples out of all the women just not to offend people."

Molyneux, whose hit games include Populous, Black & White and Syndicate, also said he’s patching up his relationship with the media, which was damaged following revelations about poorly managed projects at 22Cans. At the time, he vowed to cease giving interviews.

"I don’t think the press has treated me badly,” he said. “I had so many years of amazing articles. I can’t complain, times have changed and you’ve got to change with them. There’s no bad blood."

Source: Polygon – Full