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Playground Games’ Fable Is Now In A Playable State

Now to climb out of all this negativity.
Did they ever clarify if this was a straight forward open world or will it be in hubs? Also did they clarify about the era this will take place. Medieval, renaissance, colonial or a mix of all?
 
I’m guessing this is their holiday 2024 game. Still gives Playground two years of development time.
 
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Black_Stride

do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Read again the rumor is that they using the Unreal engine, however this not based on reality, so saying that the game will run on the Unreal engine is probably NOT true.
Yes I know.
The Unreal Engine rumor started a long time ago, and every MS hater on GAF was 100% sure that rumor was true because it makes Playground and MS look bad.
Said rumor was started because Playground Games was actively recruiting people with Unreal Engine experience and had some dev(s) on LinkedIn list Unreal Engine work for Fable.
Same as this rumor.

We wont know whether the Unreal Engine thing is real until we get gameplay of the game, but people immediately believing it because well obviously an MS made engine is going to be shit and Fable is in development hell is the obvious thing to believe.

But once a dev on LinkedIn states the game is in a playable state on their profile....suddenly its some conspiracy by Microsoft, forcing their devs to say this on their private LinkedIn profiles.
 

Three

Gold Member
Now to climb out of all this negativity.
Did they ever clarify if this was a straight forward open world or will it be in hubs? Also did they clarify about the era this will take place. Medieval, renaissance, colonial or a mix of all?
We know absolutely nothing about it other than a CGI trailer of a fairy being eaten by a toad.
 

Kacho

Gold Member
Now to climb out of all this negativity.
Did they ever clarify if this was a straight forward open world or will it be in hubs? Also did they clarify about the era this will take place. Medieval, renaissance, colonial or a mix of all?
Nope, no real details as of yet. Judging by the reveal trailer, it'll be more medieval fantasy full of swords and sorcery.

If they manage to get this out in 2024 along with Avowed it will be a huge year for Xbox.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
This article does not say “playable start to finish” though, it says “playable state.” I assume if it was playable start to finish they would say that so what does “playable state” mean? It could mean anything, absolutely anything.

Do you even realize that this article essentially takes a linkedin post about running playthroughs of Fable and translates that into ‘playable state’?

When you say “they would say that if it was playable start to finish”, you sound really confused.

Will it be in a playable state at launch is what I'm concerned about

Weird thing to be concerned about when it’s Playground games, making a game with an engine they’re extremely familiar with.
 

Three

Gold Member
Yes I know.
The Unreal Engine rumor started a long time ago, and every MS hater on GAF was 100% sure that rumor was true because it makes Playground and MS look bad.
Said rumor was started because Playground Games was actively recruiting people with Unreal Engine experience and had some dev(s) on LinkedIn list Unreal Engine work for Fable.
Same as this rumor.

We wont know whether the Unreal Engine thing is real until we get gameplay of the game, but people immediately believing it because well obviously an MS made engine is going to be shit and Fable is in development hell is the obvious thing to believe.

But once a dev on LinkedIn states the game is in a playable state on their profile....suddenly its some conspiracy by Microsoft, forcing their devs to say this on their private LinkedIn profiles.
Isn't FT some modified UE anyway? It would make sense if they are hiring people with UE experience.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
It pays to read the OP. Try again?

?

I read the OP, it says playthroughs but not playable start to finish. Big difference.

Also that they are recruiting still for people to work on content suggests that its not yet reached alpha.

My comments stand.
 

Black_Stride

do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Isn't FT some modified UE anyway? It would make sense if they are hiring people with UE experience.
I very very much doubt FT is a branch or even a modified version of Unreal Engine.
Likely looking for Unreal Engine devs because of quick prototyping and the general workflow of UE can be translated to a lot of other game engines.
 

Gudji

Member
Looking Where Are You GIF
 
I think you're taking this linked in profile news way more seriously than it needs to be lol.

I just want to see the game in motion, that's all. It's been almost three years; ideally it would have released by now or would be coming out this year. But I doubt this is a 2023 game.

It was 4chan crap.

Also, you won't see playable state. You will also have to request it from Sony too, if you want it.

Sony usually don't take long between announcing a game and actually showing it. And they've been consistent in delivering on their games in both a timely matter and up to (or exceeding) expectations.

The only current exceptions to that rule are TLOU Part 2 Factions & Wolverine, but they're from two of their top studios who have a very strong track record as-is. People trust them. People trust Playground, too, but for racing games. This is their first WRPG, quite a difference in genre. It could be great, it could end in disaster. We have to see.

At this point, this pattern of demanding Xbox shows off their in-development games outside of major showcases is beginning to look like an unhealthy obsession.

Well someone at Xbox must agree because they just showed stuff off at the Developer_Direct.

You also know for sure that neither Schreier nor any credible insider has ever had anything negative to say about this game. Stealth warring, at this point.

True, but they weren't the first to come out with the 343i restructuring/Halo Infinite rumors either. In fact, they initially debunked them. Then when the news started coming out, they basically reaffirmed those original French rumors. Schreier did a big write-up digging into the situation and most of what he wrote conformed with those earlier French rumors.

Just goes to show the generally credible/reliable insiders don't always get things right the first time.

Nobody’s ‘telling’ you anything. It’s a fucking LinkedIn post.
Wait for a showcase if you want to be shown something.

But they've already done a Developer_Direct and they showed off RedFall & HiFi Rush gameplay. Hell, they released HiFi Rush the same day!

So why do I need to wait for a showcase? Microsoft themselves are showing now they're willing to share more about their games outside of a June Showcase, so it's a fair question to ask. If Fable's a Holiday 2023 game then okay, a Showcase makes sense. That's six months apart. If it's a June 2024 game, then a Showcase makes sense...maybe. We're already seeing that both Starfield & Forza might slip beyond June 2023 and they were at the 2022 showcase that showed games for a twelve-month period.

If there's something to show for the game right now, even screenshots would be nice to see. I don't get this culture of people shaming other people for wanting to see more of a game; I'm genuinely interested to see how Fable shapes up but I also would like to see it just to affirm development is going well, with my own eyes.

You didn’t ‘need’ Jez to show you anything. He doesn’t work for MS. And you certainly weren’t owed videos of Avowed last year.

It FEELS like he works for MS, or at the very least he is strongly affiliated with the company. Similar with guys like Colteastwood and Klobrille. The amount of what they do that feels like PR & advertising for the brand is...well it's something. It kind of goes beyond normal fandom IMO.

And I'm not saying I or anyone were 'owed' Avowed gameplay vids. But the company knows people want to see more of the game; they know someone like Jez talking about this great gameplay he saw is going to whet people's appetite, and yet we never got any gameplay or any official screenshots to build off it. That could've been a chance to build momentum, but Microsoft failed to capitalize.

Stop thinking I've got a hateboner for MS & Xbox; I'm just very critical of the decisions they make and some of the reasoning behind them. I'm not going to be a lemming for them or any company in gaming.
 

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
Horizon Zero Dawn was revealed at E3 2015 and released less than 2 years later in February 2017. This was revealed at E3 2020 and we're just getting word that's in a somewhat of a playable state almost 3 years later.
It sucks but thats console launches. They obviously had incentive to announce it so people would start buying the new Xbox. Since then they have cut back on announcing stuff early luckily.
 

feynoob

Banned
Sony usually don't take long between announcing a game and actually showing it. And they've been consistent in delivering on their games in both a timely matter and up to (or exceeding) expectations.

The only current exceptions to that rule are TLOU Part 2 Factions & Wolverine, but they're from two of their top studios who have a very strong track record as-is. People trust them. People trust Playground, too, but for racing games. This is their first WRPG, quite a difference in genre. It could be great, it could end in disaster. We have to see.
Doesn't mean they can't deliver it.
Look at Hogwarts legacy. It's been done by a studio who have no experience on that field.

As long as they hire the right people, they should be able to make that game. And playground did hire those people.
 
Yeah but that other random insider with a throwaway twitter account said it was in development hell. Also confirmed by the experts here on GAF.

Edit: i.e comment above.

The one thing that Hi-Fi Rush proved is that not hearing about a product is not indicative of how close it is to ship when it is MS first party. LOL

They are clearly open to changing up their release strategies at this point.
 

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
Doesn't mean they can't deliver it.
Look at Hogwarts legacy. It's been done by a studio who have no experience on that field.

As long as they hire the right people, they should be able to make that game. And playground did hire those people.
It's supposed to be exciting to see a team allowed to branch out, not cause for alarm. Back in the day everyone made multiple different types of games in various genres.
 

feynoob

Banned
It's supposed to be exciting to see a team allowed to branch out, not cause for alarm. Back in the day everyone made multiple different types of games in various genres.
Social media made these stuff not exciting these days.
People are now posting like they are critics.
 
We cannot show gameplay even though it was announced 3 years ago, we are small indie game company please understand

You have to keep in mind that they announced the game before they even posted the ads looking to fill key positions on the development team. So while they did make the announcement waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to early, you can't really hold that against the timeline of development. MS has always had a habit of announcing far earlier in the process than Sony and it has hurt them a bit from a PR standpoint.
 

geary

Member
Please take into account that CDPR announced last year, like 4-5 games. You should start counting the no. of development years starting with 2022. Also, Todd Howard said last year that Fallout 5 is coming after TES6. You should keep 2022 as the year they announced it.
 

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
Social media made these stuff not exciting these days.
People are now posting like they are critics.
I don't even buy that. It's not social media, it's because its Xbox. No one was worried about Guerrilla making an action RPG. It's just nice to see them get to try something new. Playground is literally the closest MS equivalent we have to that for a direct comparison. Technically sound. Always stuck to one genre. Always puts out great stuff. Now they get to try something new. If Naughty Dog said they're making an action RPG everyone would be excited, not worried.
 

oldergamer

Member
Okay.

Now show US the gameplay, then. Wasn't the original rumor from Schreir? Or am I getting that confused with the Avowed stuff?

Anyway it always feels like "tell, don't show" with Xbox when it comes to trying to prove this stuff. And "playable state" could mean anything. The graphics could look like an N64 game but the physics and basic logic are in place, that's a playable state. Let's see how far along the game actually is.



Exactly. It's like when Jez Corden "told" everyone about the Avowed gameplay he got to see. Video games aren't novels; it's a medium where visuals are a key part of expression & communication. Why do I need Jez to tell me something about a game if it's supposedly so far along, versus getting to see it myself?
They don't have to show anything at this stage. I don't know why you feel so entitled, but I should say you are not entitled to see anything right now.
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
I don't even buy that. It's not social media, it's because its Xbox. No one was worried about Guerrilla making an action RPG. It's just nice to see them get to try something new. Playground is literally the closest MS equivalent we have to that for a direct comparison. Technically sound. Always stuck to one genre. Always puts out great stuff. Now they get to try something new. If Naughty Dog said they're making an action RPG everyone would be excited, not worried.
I understand what you're saying but surely going from a FPS to a RPG would be a lot easier than going from a racing game to a RPG
 

IFireflyl

Gold Member
Horizon Zero Dawn was revealed at E3 2015 and released less than 2 years later in February 2017. This was revealed at E3 2020 and we're just getting word that's in a somewhat of a playable state almost 3 years later.
Nobody asked Phil to announce this game in 2020, dude

The Elder Scrolls VI was revealed in 2018. A reveal date is pointless. My original response was to someone who said 5 years of development is plenty and the game should be released. Duke Nukem Forever was in development for 14 years. Beyond Good & Evil 2 has been in development since 2007. The PS4 game "The Last Guardian" was in development for 9 years. Too Human and Team Fortress 2 were also in development for 9 years. Prey was in development for 11 years. Final Fantasy XV (not a great example since the game sucked) was in development for 10 years.

Video games take longer to develop than ever before due to the advances in graphics, AI, and due to the ever-changing technology industry.
 

feynoob

Banned
I don't even buy that. It's not social media, it's because its Xbox. No one was worried about Guerrilla making an action RPG. It's just nice to see them get to try something new. Playground is literally the closest MS equivalent we have to that for a direct comparison. Technically sound. Always stuck to one genre. Always puts out great stuff. Now they get to try something new. If Naughty Dog said they're making an action RPG everyone would be excited, not worried.
That is fanboys.
It doesn't change the fact that people now hold their opinions to a higher stance.
 

kuncol02

Banned
No one was worried about Guerrilla making an action RPG. It's just nice to see them get to try something new. Playground is literally the closest MS equivalent we have to that for a direct comparison.
That's insulting for Playground Games. Playground is studio that's making regularly games that are one of best in a genre. Guerrilla was making shooters that couldn't even get basics of genre right. Only saving grace of Killzone series was graphics.
 

MOTM

Banned
It was announced THREE YEARS AGO. Rumors were it started development in 2018. We have not gotten a single screenshot or any footage of gameplay since then. If that isn’t dev hell what is.


I think MS puts out feelers and info to people to get them to write these articles, yes. Of course they do, everyone does it.
The fact that you think MS cares about your crazy opinion is … very bold 😂
 

Ozriel

M$FT
Well someone at Xbox must agree because they just showed stuff off at the Developer_Direct.
But they've already done a Developer_Direct and they showed off RedFall & HiFi Rush gameplay. Hell, they released HiFi Rush the same day!

So why do I need to wait for a showcase? Microsoft themselves are showing now they're willing to share more about their games outside of a June Showcase, so it's a fair question to ask.

“Xbox didn’t need E3 to show Hi-Fi Rush and Redfall so they should be able to show Fable without much fanfare”

you genuinely don’t see a difference between games arriving soon vs games further out?

If there's something to show for the game right now, even screenshots would be nice to see. I don't get this culture of people shaming other people for wanting to see more of a game; I'm genuinely interested to see how Fable shapes up but I also would like to see it just to affirm development is going well, with my own eyes.

Major difference between wanting to see media from upcoming games - which everybody wants - and consistently screeching that games must be in bad shape if nothing is shown on demand.

And I'm not saying I or anyone were 'owed' Avowed gameplay vids. But the company knows people want to see more of the game; they know someone like Jez talking about this great gameplay he saw is going to whet people's appetite, and yet we never got any gameplay or any official screenshots to build off it. That could've been a chance to build momentum, but Microsoft failed to capitalize.

Too bad they’ll never get another chance to show off Avowed 😢

Many of you wailed long and hard about MS missing the opportunity to show something at TGAs for the viewers. But now it’s perfectly fine to jump an ‘E3’ type mega showcase and casually release media

Stop thinking I've got a hateboner for MS & Xbox; I'm just very critical of the decisions they make and some of the reasoning behind them. I'm not going to be a lemming for them or any company in gaming.

You do have some antipathy to the brand. And much of your critique is unreasonable. For example, vociferously criticizing them for holding back on showing some games while they’ve already shown off titles on the horizon.

Feels like double standards since their major competitors have barely any media out for their first party projects that are 6+ months out.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
I understand what you're saying but surely going from a FPS to a RPG would be a lot easier than going from a racing game to a RPG

A significant portion of the dev team has never made a racing game before.

At this point, everyone on GAF knows Playground hired extensively for their Fable team, many of them veterans handpicked for strong RPG experience.
 
This means nothing. Technically a character model walking around a Bubsy 3D environment swinging a sword is “playable state.” I feel like articles like this come out because people read the internet, MS is starting to feel heat about not delivering games, Fable is in dev hell, and they have to put something out. If anything this article makes me more suspicious of the state of the game.
How can it just be a character model walking around after three years? Sounds like bullshit. Especially when Matt Booty already wanted to show the game but Playground Games said no.
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
A significant portion of the dev team has never made a racing game before.

At this point, everyone on GAF knows Playground hired extensively for their Fable team, many of them veterans handpicked for strong RPG experience.
I didn't know they hired that many RPG guys. Isn't them being a small team the reason Eidos was brought on board?
 

Ozriel

M$FT
I didn't know they hired that many RPG guys. Isn't them being a small team the reason Eidos was brought on board?

No? A ton of studios contract out or outsource some work for AAA games. That has been the norm for decades.

Bringing on Eidos is mutually beneficial for MS and Embracer. An outsourcing pool of veteran talent for XGS, salary bills taken off Embracer

They’re not exactly a small team. They had 177 job listings open at one point in 2018.
 

Saber

Member
Stating as playable state is such a joke term to use, it could mean it run frames or the character just walks, nothing more. They really need to stop saying that. I'm looking foward to this game, but if the game is not ready then its not ready.
 
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