With over 120 shops and 1,000 NPCs, each with their own routines and personalities (and no gen AI used to voice them), it makes sense that Playground Games’ Fable would be expensive. That’s not even getting into the sheer scale of the world, which isn’t near that of a Forza Horizon title but makes up for it by being packed with things to do.
Of course, even if fans expected it, the higher-ups at Xbox apparently didn’t. Sources speaking to Windows Central’s Jez Corden claim that the reboot has gone “uncomfortably” beyond budget. Further details, including the actual budget, remain unknown, but given that Xbox is in reset mode and desperately trying to improve its accountability margin, this probably isn’t the best news.
That said, the purported high budget may also be due to Fable’s long development cycle. Lead engineer Tom Golton said he had worked on the game for four years…in 2021. If it launches early next year, that would mean the open-world action RPG has been in the works for over eight years. Not necessarily its current iteration either, which is seemingly the result of the team adjusting its scope.
Which probably explains why Xbox wants to keep it multiplatform rather than a console exclusive like Gears of War: E-Day (also reportedly touting a massive budget) and Clockwork Revolution. Of course, that also puts more pressure on the reboot to exceed expectations.
We’ll find out how it fares when Fable arrives on February 23rd, 2027, for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out the latest gameplay here.
