Fable III News

UPDATE: Fable Legends ends at 3pm on Wednesday, 13th April 2016, Lionhead has said.

Fable Trilogy - a collection that includes Fable 2, Fable 3, and the upcoming remake of the first game, Fable Anniversary - has been confirmed for a 7th February release.

This is the same day as Fable Anniversary standalone.

The listing appeared on the Xbox Marketplace, where it noted that it "offers these games together at a discounted rate over individual purchases." Furthermore, it added that this collection won't receive any enhancements to the earlier releases of Fables 2 and 3. "The games in this bundle are available as individual downloads in the Xbox Games marketplace and are exactly the same," Microsoft stated.

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Microsoft has detailed its two-free-games-a-month initiative for Xbox Live Gold members by clarifying that a new title will be added on the 1st and 16th of every month.

Only one game will be available at a time, but once you download a title it will stay connected to your account as a past purchase, meaning it will be retrievable at a later date should you decide to delete it.

"Each specially selected, fan-favorite game will be available to download only for a limited time, so grab them before they're gone and keep them no matter what," noted Microsoft on its official site.

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Update #2: The Fable 3 giveaway was intended by Microsoft. It's part of a new two-free-games-a-month deal that will, at some point, include Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed 2.

It's been two and a half years since Fable 3 and in that time we've had a couple of series spin-offs, like the Kinect-based Fable: The Journey and the co-op beat-'em-up Fable: Heroes, but the next numbered entry in the prime series has remained elusive. While a formal announcement is yet to be made, it's suggested that it won't be long now as series developer Lionhead has launched a new forum dedicated to the franchise.

One does not typically do this just for older titles, leading one to believe a Fable 4 announcement is imminent. This would corroborate earlier reports that Fable 4 would be due in 2013, and it could very well be one of the 15 first-year exclusives Microsoft hinted at during its Xbox One reveal.

While series co-creator Peter Molyneux left Lionhead to start up 22 Cans, his Fable co-creators Dene and Simon Carter spoke highly of his Lionhead underlings, stating that the series was "in safe hands."

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Fable developer Lionhead has a new boss.

A new art exhibition is today auctioning off game pictures for charity SpecialEffect.

2K Games boss Christoph Hartmann has gone and said something controversial. He's declared that only when games approach photorealistic graphics will they be able to broaden their genre-horizon and properly do nuanced emotion like Brokeback Mountain - rather than the Mission Impossible experiences we get today.

UPDATE: Lionhead has issued Eurogamer the following statement:

Fable Heroes lead designer Ted Timmins has described departed Lionhead figurehead Peter Molyneux as "irreplaceable" and a "total legend", and said "there's no one who can fill those shoes".

Xbox Live Arcade beat-'em-up Fable Heroes "doesn't in any way shape the future direction of Lionhead", the game's lead designer has told Eurogamer.

Lionhead has announced a bucketload of 'brand extensions' for its Fable franchise, including a series of digital short stories and three tie-in novels.

The shorts are up first, launching around Fable: Heroes' arrival next month. Written by Peter David, they each focus on one key character from the Fable universe: Reaver and Jack of Blades stories will be available in May, with a Theresa tale following in June. They'll be available via all major e-reader platforms.

The first full novel, titled At the Edge of the World and authored by New York Times bestselling author Christie Golden, then arrives in August. The book will fill in the gaps between the end of Fable 3 and forthcoming Kinect spin-off Fable: The Journey.

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This weekend there will be a 48-hour game jam exploring the works of parody Twitter account @PeterMolydeux.

Fans need not worry about the Fable series following Peter Molyneux's shock exit from Microsoft - so say the creators of the franchise.

Peter Molyneux, creator of Populous, Black & White and Magic Carpet, has left Microsoft and the studio he co-founded, Lionhead.

A number of high-ranking Lionhead staff responsible for the Fable franchise have left the developer to form their own studio, Another Place Productions.

It looks like Fable developer Lionhead is the latest studio to ramp up its next gen plans.

UPDATE: Lionhead has issued Eurogamer the following statement:

"Thanks for checking in with us! We're happy to tell you all about what we're working on. Just apply, get hired, and we promise to spill our guts!"

ORIGINAL STORY: Fable developer Lionhead wants a programmer with MMO skills to help make an unannounced game.

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Fable developer Lionhead was "on its knees" before Microsoft swooped in and bought the UK developer, a former member of staff has said.

Fable developer Lionhead is apparently working on a fourth incarnation of the role-playing series.

That's according to US Official Xbox Magazine, which published the news in its rumours section (spotted by CVG).

"Look for the Fable cycle to continue with a proper, controller-based Fable 4 in 2013," the publication promised.

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Peter Molyneux was "pretty ashamed" with the low-80s average review score Fable III received from critics.

Microsoft has registered Fablethejourney.org as a domain name, along with three other phrases which seem to suggest a bunch of Kinect titles is on the way.

Fable III developer Lionhead has told Eurogamer that second-hand (pre-owned) sales on Xbox 360 are today a bigger problem than piracy on PC.

The PC version of Lionhead role-playing game Fable III will launch on Steam and Games for Windows Live, Microsoft has announced.

Pre-orders begin today. Those who do so through GFWL receive Fable: Lost Chapters for free.

Those who pre-order through Steam get the Rebel's Weapon & Tattoo Pack, a collection of four weapons and five tattoo sets.

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Fable III will be a more difficult game on PC, Lionhead has revealed - because desktop gamers relish the challenge.

In May, Fable III arrives on PC. But will your machine be able to play it?

Panic ye not, for Microsoft shall make more Fable and more Halo and more Forza and more Gears of War.

Lionhead boss and newly-crowned holder of a BAFTA Fellowship Peter Molyneux has admitted making game features up on the spot to stop bored journalists falling asleep during interviews.

This year's recipient of the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship, Peter Molyneux, has told Eurogamer TV that the honour means: "Now prove you deserve this award; prove you really are good at what you do."

The Traitor's Keep add-on for Fable III has plopped onto Xbox Live Marketplace.

A fresh set of Fable III downloadable content, titled Traitor's Keep, hits Xbox Live next week, publisher Microsoft has announced.

According to Major Nelson's blog, the DLC leads players into three new levels called Ravenscar Keep, Clockwork Island and the Godwin Estate, "taking on new quests and encountering a mysterious prisoner". There are 250 additional gamerscore points on offer too, as well as "additional content".

It's out on 1st March and will set you back 560 Points.

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Legendary videogame designer Peter Molyneux has been made a fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

You can influence future Fable projects at Lionhead by filling out a survey.

Five years after the 360 arrived, Microsoft has crowned 2010 as the biggest year in Xbox history.

Microsoft has announced Fable III: Coin Golf, a spin-off of Lionhead's adventure franchise for the Windows Phone 7.

Details on what exactly is involved were scant during the reveal at Microsoft's CES keynote in Las Vegas, but the platform holder did confirm cash earned in the mobile game will carry over to Fable III on the Xbox 360.

Elsewhere in the presentation, a number of other new titles were announced for Microsoft's smartphone OS, including a portable version of Xbox 360's Game Room portal. Centipede, Shao-Lin's Road, Time Pilot, Lunar Lander, Pitfall and Asteroids are the six vintage titles you'll be able to access through the service.

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Lionhead has pledged to reward those who played Fable III mobile phone spin-off Kingmaker with free virtual gold.

Bored of your Fable III dog? Wish you could swap for a cooler one? Lionhead has a remedy: a dog pack.

Lionhead has deployed a title update for Fable III on Xbox Live.

It fixes numerous problems. Butler Jasper won't abruptly shut his trap when you visit the Sanctuary, after all, the voice of John Cleese can't have come cheap - might as well hear it. Of course, John Cleese has been in a BioWare game before - can you remember which one?

This title update also hopes to prevent save game corruption as well as boosts general game performance and frame rate, which can be particularly choppy in same-screen co-op.

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A forthcoming patch for Fable III will fix corrupted game saves, spawning issues and frame-rate dips, according to an update from developer Lionhead Studios.

The studio said that it "has been hard at work addressing gameplay issues" on its critically-acclaimed but bug-heavy Xbox 360 epic.

The issues it's looking to tackle include:

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Everybody, stay calm. Lionhead Studios has confirmed that the M.I.A PC version of Fable III is still in development.

Understone, the first batch of proper Fable III DLC, will be released on 23rd November, Microsoft has said.

Fable III developer Lionhead is aware that the game shipped with a number of bugs and is working on patches.

Update: UKIE has released sales figures for the top 10 games. These show that leader Fable III sold 128,895 copies since launch on Friday - 6000 more than Fable II managed.

Fable III will have its own midnight launch event at GAME on London's Oxford Street this Thursday.

The event will get underway at 9pm and finish 1am Friday morning, according to the Lionhead Twitter.

Prizes will be given and members of the Lionhead Fable III team will be present.

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Over 60,000 people have taken part in Microsoft's free app Fable III: Kingmaker.

Buried within a press release to coincide with the launch of a new Fable III trailer is the revelation that new copies of the Lionhead role-playing game will come with a "redemption card" that grants access to exclusive downloadable content.

The one-time-use Xbox Live card grants access to the following DLC for the high-profile Xbox 360 RPG:

Call forth undead minions to your aid with the Raise Dead Potion

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The creator of a 2D Fable "de-make" has popped up a video of his progress and explained how he's incorporating systems from the first two Fable games - including some that were mentioned during their development but never made it in.

Abandoned Kinect-enabled mini-games for Fable III saw you throwing tomatoes at passers-by and carving statues.

Peter Molyneux has revealed that there will be a "huge decision" to make at the beginning of Fable III.

Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux has explained how a video of his son Lucas pleading with Valve Software to hurry up and finish Half-Life 2: Episode 3 ended up going viral on the internet last month.

Microsoft and Lionhead are launching a Fable III viral game for smartphones called Kingmaker this Friday, 1st October, and the rewards will be usable in Fable III.

Fable III may not be out until 29th October, but its Achievements are already doing the rounds thanks to internet detectives at Xbox360Achievements.org.

Eurogamer is delighted to announce that legendary British game developer Peter Molyneux will be kicking off the Eurogamer Expo developer sessions this year with a talk on Fable III, giving behind the scenes detail and revealing his inspiration for the series.

Lionhead has told Eurogamer that work on Fable III is rocketing along at 10-times the pace of Fable II.

Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux has said he has high hopes the next instalment in the Fable series will be the biggest, best and most lucrative yet.

"We want more than five million people playing Fable III on the Xbox 360, full stop," he told MCV. Around three million copies of the original Fable were sold, while the figure for the sequel was 3.5 million.

So how does Molyneux intend to boost sales this time around? Why, by making the game more accessible to a wider audience, of course.

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The will it or won't it support Kinect saga that has dogged Lionhead role-playing game Fable III shows no sign of abating after publisher Microsoft refused to confirm comments on the matter from creator Peter Molyneux.

Those who pre-order upcoming role-playing game Fable III can create their own villager who will then appear in the final game.

The PC version of Lionhead role-playing game Fable III has been delayed, Microsoft has confirmed.

Project Milo creator Peter Molyneux has admitted he finds it "insanely hard" to convince others of the validity of his new game ideas before they're realised.

Microsoft exclusive RPG Fable II was "terribly messy", "rushed" and suffered from "huge design flaws", creator Peter Molyneux has admitted.

Seminal shooters BioShock and Portal are shining examples of great videogame storytelling and character design, Lionhead audio producer Georg Backer told an audience at the Develop Conference in Brighton this afternoon.

Peter Molyneux has agreed to take Fable III down to the Brighton Develop Conference next week.

Peter Molyneux has labelled demos "a horrible concept" and revealed plans to release upcoming action RPG Fable III as a series of downloadable episodes.

Lionhead has admitted to Eurogamer that the implementation of online co-operative multiplayer in Fable II "was rubbish", but promised that Fable III's will be vastly improved.

The arrival of Fable III on PC will be the "first step" of a much larger push by Microsoft to boost the profile of gaming on Windows 7 desktops.

Lionhead founder and Microsoft Game Studios' European boss Peter Molyneux has revealed that action RPG Fable III will be released on 26th October.

Molyneux was speaking at the Microsoft E3 conference in Los Angeles today.

Molyneux also showed us a new trailer for the game, in which the player is once more on a quest to save Albion - except this time he has to do it from the throne.

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Microsoft has finally confirmed Fable III for PC, and revealed the snazzy Collector's Edition of the game.

Due "Christmas", this limited edition box will be wrapped up and presented like a book from the world of Fable. Inside is an exclusive quest with the Wolfsbane sword as a reward; a new family-oriented location sprinkled with treasure; pack of Fable III playing cards; Guild Seal coin to flip when decisions are tough; an exclusive Boxer breed of dog and an exclusive Aurora set of clothes.

This Collector's Edition will sell at RRP £60 on Xbox 360.

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Update: Microsoft has responded: "We've made no official announcement but please stay tuned," a spokesperson said.

Original story: Microsoft has published and then withdrawn Fable III box artwork after it appeared to confirm a PC version of the game.

The art - nabbed by Joystiq before its removal - included a label that read, "Only on Xbox 360 & Windows."

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Lionhead lead artist John McCormack has revealed that Fable III's 'morphs' - physical manifestations of the players' good and evil alignment, like wings, horns or halos - will be controlled by pressing a button. Previously these appeared of their own accord.

Veteran actor Ben Kingsley has signed up to provide a voiceover for Fable III.

Peter Molyneux has revealed plans to release downloadable "episodes" for Fable III post-launch.

Peter Molyneux is in a pickle: he's worried that having no combat during the first half-hour of Fable III could be a problem.

Never mind Fable III - Peter Molyneux thinks PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain is where it's at when it comes to next-gen entertainment.

Various hints dropped by Peter Molyneux and Lionhead point to a PC version of Fable III.

Peter Molyneux has told Eurogamer that he doesn't think PlayStation Move is the same kind of step forward as Microsoft's Project Natal, but admits he fancies a crack on Sony's new magic wand controller.

Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux has confirmed Natal technology will feature in Fable III - but he still won't say how it will work.

Peter Molyneux has revealed that comedy legend John Cleese is providing a voiceover for Fable III.

Lionhead Studios is asking fans to come up with ideas for Fable III merchandise.

Presenting at Fable III at X10 in San Francisco, Peter Molyneux has revealed that the RPG - if you can still call it that - has no experience points or health bar.

Microsoft has announced that Fable III will be released "this holiday" on Xbox 360, which is "in the run-up to Christmas" in old money.

Peter Molyneux has said to expect more details on Fable III at this week's X10 event in San Francisco, and warned that people are going to be "super pissed off".

The third instalment in the Fable series is set to get its first public showing next month.

Lionhead community manager Steve Van Tilburgh has promised the world its first Fable III sighting next month.

Peter Molyneux's Lionhead Studios has offered an artist's impression of Bowerstone in Fable III.

Peter Molyneux has confirmed Natal support for Fable III and described gaming in 2009 as "the most exciting year ever".

Speaking last night at a BAFTA event - hosted and Tweeted by Eurogamer's Johnny Minkley - Molyneux revealed that his next role-playing game will also feature a micro-transaction in-game shop, where players can buy swords from £1.

Walkthroughs are another possibility for the store, but with the game so far off, Molyneux said many of these features could be dropped before release.

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Peter Molyneux has hinted that Fable III may be playable with Project Natal technology - as well as a regular controller.

(Please beware that the following is a spoiler for the end of Fable II, so if you still plan to play it, do not read on!)

Lionhead and Microsoft Games Studios Europe boss Peter Molyneux has announced Fable III for Xbox 360 at a press conference at gamescom in Cologne, Germany this morning. It will be released in 2010.

The game will see you become the ruler of Albion, deciding whether to be a kind king or a tyrant, and whether to keep the promises you made on your way to top. Your decisions and judgements will affect the shape of Albion and its society.

You'll be a hero ruler, and still an adventurer, "like a captain in Star Trek", said Molyneux. The game won't be an RTS, he promised. You'll also be able to travel to lands beyond Albion's borders for the first time.

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Peter Molyneux is set to make an announcement at gamescom next week and Lionhead's website has been given a curious Che Guevara makeover to tease it.

Microsoft may not be talking about it and Peter Molyneux may be trying ever so hard not to talk about it, but people just keep talking about Fable III. Now it's the New York Times, in a wedding announcement of all things.

"Amy E. Gilbert and Joshua Samuels Atkins are to be married Sunday in San Francisco. Rabbi Bruce Greenbaum is to officiate in the Penthouse of the Fairmont Hotel," the announcement says (thanks Kotaku). "Mr. Atkins, 34, is the lead game designer for Fable III, a videogame series produced by Lionhead Studios in Guildford, England." Whoops.

Atkins, who appears to have worked largely for Microsoft Game Studios rather than Lionhead itself, is credited on Fable: The Lost Chapters and Fable II among numerous other games.

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Celebrity talker Jonathan Ross seems to have inadvertently confirmed the development of Fable III on his Twitter, claiming he's been offered a voice-over role.

"Tweeting" after last night's BAFTA shindig, the British TV and radio star wished his gossip-hungry fans goodnight with this message: "Goodnight all. Must go to bed. Got asked to do voice in Fable 3 tonight. Subarashi. Oyasuminasia. Woss out."

When asked to confirm the slip by a fellow Tweeter, Ross proclaimed, "Yes they are doing it. Charlie Brooker said he would do a voice for it to! Great fun!!"

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