Fable has once again slipped out of our meaty grasps, as Playground Games’ grand return to Albion has been met with yet another delay. Ahead of Summer Games Fest, Xbox has confirmed that we’re going to be waiting until early next year to live out our worst morally-repugnant lives.
“This is year is packed with incredible games for Xbox players to enjoy,” the firm shares on X, “from Halo: Campaign Evolved, Gears of War: E-Day and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 to Control Resonant, Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Grand Theft Auto 6. In order to plan our game launches through the holidays, in a way that works best for players, we’re moving Fable to February 2027 so it can have the dedicated moment it deserves. We’re excited to be giving players a major new look at Fable, as well as our broader line-up, at Xbox Games Showcase on June 7.”
As alluded to, this isn’t the first time the Fable release date has been pushed back. Originally set to launch in 2025, the action-adventure game clearly wasn’t ready when Xbox revised its release window to this year. In January’s Xbox Developer Direct, it was confirmed to finally be reaching our screens this Fall.
Recently, there had been whispers that Fable had been internally delayed. However, the rumor mill quickly stopped turning after Playground reiterated that a Fall launch was definitely still happening. With today’s confirmation, it appears that the leaks were correct. Now, you’ll have to grab a sharpie and mark next year’s calendar – do they even sell 2027 calendars in May?
Honestly, as gutting as the decision is, it’s not a bad shout. As Xbox notes, the back end of this year is the most stacked one I’ve seen in a while, with triple-A monoliths going at it over the holiday period. GTA 6 is the gaming equivalent of a black hole, and I feel that its RP elements are going to really bite into Fable’s prospective sales in particular. Granted, people are still going to be pumping Rockstar’s latest by the time we get to February, but there’s a good chance folks will want to take a breather with something magical, fantastical, and indelibly British; maybe that’s just my homeland bias creeping in.