Microsoft has officially delayed the release of Fable to 2026. The announcement was made by Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan during the latest official Xbox podcast.
Duncan explained that the decision to delay the game was made to ensure the best possible experience for players. He stated:
We previously announced the date for Fable as 2025, we are actually going to give Fable more time and it’s going to ship in 2026 now.
While acknowledging that the game getting delayed might not be the news Fable fans were hoping for, Duncan assured that the extra year until 2026 would be worth the wait.
Accompanying the announcement, Microsoft shared new pre-alpha gameplay footage of Fable, showcasing the game’s early development progress. The footage highlights the work being done by Code Playground Games, the studio behind the project.
The gameplay footage shows some open-world exploration with the same protagonist as the last trailer, a few small snippets of combat against different enemy types, some magic being thrown around, and a few cutscenes. It shows that the game’s visuals are coming along quite well, while other video games let you pet different animals, Code Playground Games has taken a different approach, giving players the ability to punt a chicken accross the field for unknown reasons.
Duncan also praised Code Playground Games for their work on the Forza Horizon series, emphasizing the studio’s ability to deliver high-quality games. He described Fable as a blend of Code Playground’s signature visuals, British humor, and a fresh take on Albion, the setting of the franchise. According to Duncan, the game will be “the most beautifully realized version of Albion you’ve ever seen.”
The delay aims to give developers the time they need to create a polished and memorable experience. For now, we’ll just have to wait until 2026 to explore Code Playground Games’ vision for the Fable franchise.
