After years of silence and speculation, Fable is finally stepping back into the spotlight. Playground Games has delivered its most detailed look yet at the long awaited reboot during the latest Xbox Developer_Direct, confirming platforms, release timing, and exactly why this new take on Albion could be one of the most ambitious RPGs of the generation.

Fable launches this Autumn on Xbox Series X and S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It will also support Xbox Play Anywhere, meaning a single purchase carries across Xbox and PC. For the first time in franchise history, Fable is releasing on PlayStation 5 alongside Xbox platforms, opening the gates of Albion to a much wider audience.

Developed by Playground Games, best known for the Forza Horizon series, this is not a remake or sequel. Instead, it is a full reboot, designed as a new beginning for one of Xbox’s most iconic RPG franchises.

A New Beginning For Albion

According to Fable general manager and game director Ralph Fulton, the decision to reboot was intentional. It has been nearly two console generations since the original trilogy ended, and Playground wanted the freedom to rebuild Albion without being tied to existing timelines or characters.

This fresh start allows the team to honour the spirit of the original games while crafting their own version of the world. The result is a familiar yet reimagined Albion, one that keeps Fable’s identity intact while modernising its systems, storytelling, and scope.

At its core, Playground’s Fable is built around a simple idea inherited from Lionhead Studios. Fable is fairytale, not fantasy. Rather than epic political drama or world ending stakes, the game focuses on smaller, more personal stories about ordinary people, and what happens when magic disrupts their lives.

Story Setup And Player Freedom

Fable begins, as tradition demands, with your character as a child. Early on, your heroic powers awaken, setting you apart from everyone around you. A time jump then moves the story forward, reintroducing your hero as an adult returning to their home village of Briar Hill.

The inciting incident strikes quickly. A mysterious stranger turns your entire village, including your grandmother, to stone. With no clear answers and only fleeting clues, your journey into the wider world begins, driven by the hope of reversing what has been done.

From the moment you leave your village, Albion opens up completely. There is no ticking clock forcing you down the main story path. You can head toward the Heroes’ Guild in Bowerstone, chase rumours, explore distant settlements, or ignore the main quest entirely for hours on end. The story waits for you, giving players full permission to get lost in side activities, relationships, jobs, and exploration.

A Fully Open World Without Level Gating

Playground has built Fable as a true open world RPG. There are no invisible walls or regions locked behind level requirements. Players can travel anywhere in Albion from the start, and the game’s progression systems are designed around that freedom.

Instead of pushing players toward a specific route, the world adapts to where you go. Every settlement offers meaningful activities, regardless of when you arrive. This approach ensures that curiosity is rewarded rather than punished, encouraging players to explore without fear of hitting artificial barriers.

Fluid Style-Weaving Combat

Combat in Fable revolves around what Playground calls style weaving. The classic mix of melee, ranged, and magic returns, but with a modern twist that allows players to seamlessly chain attacks together.

You can swing a sword, fire a ranged shot, and launch a spell in one smooth sequence, without delays or rigid loadouts. Combat encounters are designed around groups of enemies, each with strengths, weaknesses, and behaviours that reward tactical thinking.

Emergent moments play a big role too. Enemies can accidentally damage each other, weak points trigger specific reactions, and slapstick chaos often breaks through during fights. It keeps combat feeling dynamic, unpredictable, and unmistakably Fable.

Morality Reimagined Through Reputation

One of the most important changes comes to Fable’s morality system. Rather than a simple good or evil meter, the reboot introduces a reputation-based system shaped by what you do and who witnesses it.

Every action seen by others contributes to how you are perceived. Kick chickens often enough and you may become known as a Chicken Chaser. Be generous, thieving, romantic, or reckless, and those traits form your identity within each settlement.

Different NPCs interpret these reputations differently. There is no objective morality. The world does not judge you, but the people of Albion absolutely will. Reputations affect dialogue, romance, marriage, shop prices, and how NPCs treat you on the street. You can even manipulate public opinion by paying the town crier to spread a new reputation if you want to reinvent yourself.

A Living World Of Over 1,000 NPCs

Albion is populated by over 1,000 unique NPCs, each with their own routines, jobs, relationships, and homes. This Living Population system means towns function like real places rather than static backdrops.

NPCs wake up, go to work, socialise, return home, and react dynamically to your actions. Over time, players can learn individual names, preferences, and personal stories, forming relationships that feel more grounded than traditional RPG crowd systems.

While the Living Population occasionally references your actions during the main quest, it remains optional. Players focused purely on the story can progress without interference, while others are free to experiment with Albion’s social systems as deeply as they like.

British Humour And A Bold Storytelling Twist

Fable’s British identity remains central to its tone, and Playground has leaned heavily into that heritage. Dry wit, awkward humour, and absurdity flow through the world, supported by a cast that includes familiar British comedic talent.

One of the most distinctive features is a mockumentary-style interview technique inspired by The Office. Characters occasionally speak directly to the camera, allowing jokes and character moments to land naturally without interrupting gameplay.

According to Ralph Fulton, this approach has rarely been used in games before, but it offers a powerful way to deliver humour and personality in a format that feels effortless and authentic.

Character Customisation And Player Expression

Character customisation is fully confirmed, allowing players to shape their hero however they choose. Combined with open world freedom, fluid combat, and reputation-driven morality, Fable is built around player expression in every sense.

You are free to define what kind of hero you become, whether that means noble protector, chaotic troublemaker, or something in between.

What Comes Next

Playground Games says there is still much more to reveal before launch, including deeper dives into progression, weapons, exploration systems, and the main cast. For now, Developer_Direct served as a statement of intent.

Fable is back, rebuilt from the ground up, and aiming to deliver a fairytale RPG where choice, humour, and consequence shape every journey. Albion is opening its doors once again, and this time, more players than ever are invited inside.

The post Fable Returns With A Powerful Open World Reboot, Launching Across Xbox, PC And PS5 This Autumn 2026 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Larian Studios has officially lifted the curtain on Divinity, its next major role-playing game and the first new project since Baldur’s Gate 3 took over the industry. Revealed during The Game Awards 2025, the announcement confirms a long-rumoured return to Larian’s own fantasy universe, with the studio promising a game that is even larger, darker, and more ambitious than its award-winning predecessor.

Geoff Keighley didn’t mince words on stage, calling Divinity Larian’s biggest game ever, and early details suggest the studio is aiming higher than it ever has before.

A Dark Reveal at The Game Awards

The first look at Divinity came via a pre-rendered cinematic trailer, and it was far more unsettling than what many fans expected. The trailer opens with a man burned alive inside a Wicker Man-style structure, surrounded by cheering villagers who descend into a disturbing ritual. Masked cultists, flagellants, and a strange celestial event loom over the scene, before everything spirals into chaos.

By the end, the crowd itself is absorbed into a grotesque statue made of fused bodies, echoing the mysterious desert monument that had fuelled speculation in the days leading up to the show. The reveal confirmed that the strange obelisk was neither an Elder Scrolls tease nor a random stunt, but the first breadcrumb for Larian’s next epic.

The tone is notably darker than Baldur’s Gate 3, signalling a grim fantasy world where player choices may push things toward light, or drag them further into horror.

What Is Divinity, And How Does It Fit the Series?

Despite the simple name, Divinity is not a hard reboot. Larian has clarified that the game does not require knowledge of previous entries, but players familiar with Divinity: Original Sin and Original Sin 2 will notice stronger continuity and deeper connections.

Interestingly, this is the first title in the franchise to be called simply Divinity. Past entries ranged from Divine Divinity in 2002 to Divinity: Original Sin 2 in 2017, often jumping around the timeline and rewriting major lore along the way. Larian publishing director Michael Douse has already confirmed there are no plans for Divinity: Original Sin 3, reinforcing that this new game is intended as a fresh foundation for what the studio calls the Divinity universe.

According to Larian founder and CEO Swen Vincke, this project brings everything the studio has learned into one cohesive vision, combining breadth, depth, and intimacy on a scale they’ve never attempted before.

Bigger Than Baldur’s Gate 3, By Design

In multiple interviews following the reveal, Vincke has been clear about the studio’s confidence. He believes Divinity will surpass Baldur’s Gate 3 on all fronts, from systems design to player freedom.

One major advantage is ownership. Unlike Baldur’s Gate 3, which was built on Dungeons and Dragons rules, Divinity is entirely Larian’s own creation. That freedom allows the team to design mechanics specifically for a video game, rather than adapting tabletop systems.

Vincke has described Divinity as Larian unleashed, explaining that every class, system, and narrative choice is being built without external constraints. The goal is to make a game that feels more intuitive, more flexible, and ultimately more reactive to how players choose to play.

Turn-Based Combat Is Confirmed

Following fan speculation, Larian has officially confirmed that Divinity will be a turn-based RPG, staying true to both Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Original Sin games. This confirmation came via interviews conducted after The Game Awards, including comments shared with IGN.

Vincke told IGN that Divinity is a single-player game with cooperative multiplayer, once again allowing friends to experience the story together. He also revealed that the game has already been in development for two years and is now in full production.

Importantly, Larian has not ruled out early access. While nothing is locked in yet, the studio has said it will most likely follow a similar early access approach to Baldur’s Gate 3, depending on how development progresses.

Player Agency At The Core

If there’s one word Larian keeps returning to, it’s agency. According to Vincke and writing director Adam Smith, Divinity is built around giving players control at every level, from character identity to narrative direction.

The team wants players to feel like they are shaping the world, not just reacting to it. Choices will matter, and the consequences are designed to ripple outward in unexpected ways. Vincke has hinted that some systems and story outcomes will surprise even experienced RPG players, with different playthroughs leading to wildly different stories.

This philosophy builds directly on what made Baldur’s Gate 3 so successful, but Larian believes Divinity will push this even further, with deeper reactivity and more extreme outcomes.

Development, Early Access, And What Comes Next

Despite the scale of the project, Divinity still has no release window. Vincke has suggested that an early access launch is planned, but it is unlikely the game will be ready as early as 2026. Larian is also experimenting with a new engine, which has introduced challenges but promises better cinematic storytelling and smoother content streaming.

The studio is aiming to shorten development time compared to Baldur’s Gate 3, which took around six years to complete. Even so, Vincke has been clear that creativity cannot be rushed, and Larian is expanding its writing and scripting teams to develop content in parallel.

For now, fans will need to wait for gameplay footage, but all signs point to Divinity being a massive, long-term project that defines Larian’s future.

A New Era For Larian Studios

With Baldur’s Gate 3 selling more than 20 million copies, Larian is entering this next chapter from a position of strength. The success of that game has given the studio the resources to take bigger risks, experiment more boldly, and double down on what it does best.

Divinity represents a return home for Larian, but also a leap forward. If the studio delivers on its promises, this could be the RPG that sets the tone for the next generation of narrative-driven games.

The post Larian Unveils Divinity, Its Biggest and Darkest RPG Yet, Bigger Than Baldur’s Gate 3 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.