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[Lunatic_Gamer]

According to the LinkedIn profile of Associate QA Technician at Playground Games, Simon Kent, it appears that Fable is in its “Flighting Test” stage of development.

For the uninitiated, “Flight test” or “flighting” refers to the practice of distributing early or pre-release builds of a game to a select number of testers or players. Before the game is officially released, flighting tests are conducted primarily to gather feedback, find bugs, and enhance the overall gaming experience. This aids developers in fixing any problems, balancing gameplay, and making improvements based on actual user feedback.

It was also revealed that the game is currently in a playable state. According to the LinkedIn profile of Playground Games producer, Vijay Gill, Fable is currently in a playable state. In his profile, Gill states that he is preparing and facilitating regular game playthroughs of the game, alongside build reviews with key stakeholders. This is in line with the flighting test work mentioned in Kent’s Linkedin profile.

Gill is leading production for Fable’s cross-discipline workstream consisting of gameplay design, technical design, gameplay animation, engineering, VFX, SFX, UI, and more. He is the production owner for design teams, defining their key workflows, tracking dependencies, and constructing delivery roadmaps while collaborating closely with design and game directors.

Fable In "Flighting Test" Stage Of Development At Playground Games

Xbox and Playground Games' action role-playing game, Fable, is currently in its "flighting test" stage of development.

twistedvoxel.com

 

[StealthGoblin]

Still a long ways away then. This is the game I want the most from Xbox.

 

[feynoob]

Finally some good news for Xbox. They have been getting bad news non-stop.

 

[DenchDeckard]

WHats flighting test stage? at what point does this usually happen?

 

[feynoob]

WHats flighting test stage? at what point does this usually happen?

For the uninitiated, “Flight test” or “flighting” refers to the practice of distributing early or pre-release builds of a game to a select number of testers or players. Before the game is officially released, flighting tests are conducted primarily to gather feedback, find bugs, and enhance the overall gaming experience. This aids developers in fixing any problems, balancing gameplay, and making improvements based on actual user feedback.

 

[Mephisto40]

I wonder if you'll be able to plant a seed in the ground and then a tree will grow...

 

[Kvally]

2024 maybe

 

[RoboFu]

Well hopefully they will show something during their “e3”ish presentation coming up.

 

[Riky]

Late 2024, maybe spring 2025 seems realistic, good news.

 

[MOTM]

Sounds like a fall 2024 game. Development seems to be moving forward quite nicely contrarily to what these "insiders" have apparently heard from their friends cousin's uncle who knows someone at MS.

 

[Banjo64]

You can always rely on Playground. I doubted we’d get this in 2024 but the fact that it’s a possibility means they are further along than I thought.

 

[Black_Stride]

Team Fall 2024.

But yeah its still some ways off, I dont think we will actually see any gameplay of this till next years early showcase.
Would be nice to see gameplay early in the year "knowing" the game will come out later the same year.

 

[Umbasaborne]

Still dont get what the point of announcing this 3 years ago was.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Man, if this comes next year! but ill take spring 2025.

This is the game im looking forward to the most from MS, even my Mrs is excited and she doesnt play games....the only games shes ever lost her self in is the fable series.

 

[ParaSeoul]

No Molyneux,no buy.

 

[MOTM]

Still dont get what the point of announcing this 3 years ago was.

Would be really dumb for everyone to find out that a new Fable is in development through LinkedIn posts and leaks back in 2020 but MS doesn't announce anything and pretends like it isn't a thing until 3 years down the line? How do you create a whole second studio for a studio like PG to work on a totally different genre and massive IP and nobody finds out? And when they do you just keep quiet for the next 4 years?

 

[Robb]

Sounds good, late 2024 release sounds plausible - although I expect 2025.

Would be nice if we got a trailer or some footage of it this year though. I’m very curious to see what PlayGround can do outside of Forza.

 

[supernova8]

Not trying to derail but.... kinda makes you wonder if Hellblade 2 is past the vertical slice stage. Has Ninja Theory ever said where they are in terms of development?

 

[Oddvintagechap]

Sounds like a fall 2024 game. Development seems to be moving forward quite nicely contrarily to what these "insiders" have apparently heard from their friends cousin's uncle who knows someone at MS.

https://www.windowscentral.com/playground-games-hiring-177-developers-new-aaa-open-world-rpg

https://www.cnet.com/culture/fable-franchise-gets-resurrected-for-xbox-series-x/

it was announced 2 years ago. Since it’s development Spiderman 1, Spiderman MM, and Spiderman 2 will come out… and still doesn’t have a release date or seen any gameplay.

I think someone’s uncle is right.

 

[mrmustard]

Still dont get what the point of announcing this 3 years ago was.

Nearly all big games get leaked at some point. Better drop it yoursefl than anybody else. Also it's good to know what comes when you make your decision for a console.

 

[Kvally]

https://www.windowscentral.com/playground-games-hiring-177-developers-new-aaa-open-world-rpg

https://www.cnet.com/culture/fable-franchise-gets-resurrected-for-xbox-series-x/

it was announced 2 years ago. Since it’s development Spiderman 1, Spiderman MM, and Spiderman 2 will come out… and still doesn’t have a release date or seen any gameplay.

I think someone’s uncle is right.

All 3 on the same map

 

[MOTM]

https://www.windowscentral.com/playground-games-hiring-177-developers-new-aaa-open-world-rpg

https://www.cnet.com/culture/fable-franchise-gets-resurrected-for-xbox-series-x/

it was announced 2 years ago. Since it’s development Spiderman 1, Spiderman MM, and Spiderman 2 will come out… and still doesn’t have a release date or seen any gameplay.

I think someone’s uncle is right.

Spiderman - PS4
Spiderman MM - DLC
Spiderman 2 - Straight sequel coming out 5 years after original. Which would be the same amount of time Fable would have taken.

You didn't use your brain before posting did you?

 

[feynoob]

https://www.windowscentral.com/playground-games-hiring-177-developers-new-aaa-open-world-rpg

https://www.cnet.com/culture/fable-franchise-gets-resurrected-for-xbox-series-x/

it was announced 2 years ago. Since it’s development Spiderman 1, Spiderman MM, and Spiderman 2 will come out… and still doesn’t have a release date or seen any gameplay.

I think someone’s uncle is right.

Oh, hi there. I see you are doing your job very well

 

[Tsaki]

Still dont get what the point of announcing this 3 years ago was.

1. Xbox needed to show games that were in development to instill confidence to potential buyers of Series consoles. Though this is a double edged sword. The longer a game takes to release, the more narratives about its development begin to crop up [delays, mismanagement, etc (not that I necessarily believe this to be the case for Fable)]
2. Advertisement for the studio. Making public the game that the studio is working on massively increases the chance of new hires applying for a job, instead of tip-toeing around it in job descriptions.
Out of the two, I think the first one is by far the one with the more weight behind the original reveal.

 

[Darsxx82]

Still dont get what the point of announcing this 3 years ago was.

PG was in a process of hiring new developers. They needed twice as many developers as they had because they were divided into 2 Studios (Forza Horizon and Fable)

It is something very common and necessary to announce the project you are working on to attract talent and hire quickly. The reboot of Fable and the great appreciation of PG as a Studio where to work was a good hook.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Man, I really hope they can get Fable back on track. Fable 2 was one of my favorite Xbox 360 games.

 

[Godot25]

Great for game that was switching engines according to some "leakers"

 

[Rockondevil]

Happy to hear this. Fable is one of my favourite IP’s and I hope they do it justice.

Next year would be cool, but I won’t hold my breath just yet.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

GAMEPLAY this year at least.

 

[Ronin_7]

No Molyneux,no buy.

It's the other way around.

 

[jshaver488]

GAMEPLAY this year at least.

If it’s fall 2024 or spring 2025, I’d be fine with them holding off until their summer 2024 showcase

Show and release avowed in the meantime

 

[reksveks]

Unless it's coming out this year, don't really need/care for gameplay footage personally.

 

[diffusionx]

Announced 3 years ago in 2020, they went on a hiring spree for it starting in 2018, so 3-5 years in development and it's just bits and bobs some people are walking through. A release date in 2024 is VERY optimistic. More like 2026, maybe.

 

[Saber]

Cool I guess? Maybe is not that long until they have something to show.

 

[Wizz-Art]

One of my favourite franchises, I'm waiting for a new Fable game since the spin-off Legends was announced. Can't believe we went through an entire generation without a proper Fable game and the OG dev Lionhead got canned.

Are there some Lionhead devs now at Playground?

 

[geary]

Still dont get what the point of announcing this 3 years ago was.

I don't understand this way of thinking? They announced a "gif", saying that they have this project on the roadmap. CPDR announced that they are working at 5 games last year....should we held them accountable if they don't release all of them in the next 2 years?

 

[StealthGoblin]

If this is Xmas period 2024 or spring 2025, I’d much rather them hold off showing it until next June.

 

[ResilientBanana]

https://www.windowscentral.com/playground-games-hiring-177-developers-new-aaa-open-world-rpg

https://www.cnet.com/culture/fable-franchise-gets-resurrected-for-xbox-series-x/

it was announced 2 years ago. Since it’s development Spiderman 1, Spiderman MM, and Spiderman 2 will come out… and still doesn’t have a release date or seen any gameplay.

I think someone’s uncle is right.

Spiderman development began in 2014 and was released in 2018. The announcement for Spiderman came out during E3 2016 and again, released in 2018. - 4 years development

Spiderman 2 was announced in 2021 and is scheduled to release in 2023. Development probably began prior to the release of Spiderman, but we will say 2018. - 5 years development.

Fable was announced too soon, sure. But 5-6 year development times are becoming the norm for next-gen titles.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

So about 2 years out, my 5090 will be ready

 

[DeepEnigma]

2025 the earliest.

 

[Umbasaborne]

I don't understand this way of thinking? They announced a "gif", saying that they have this project on the roadmap. CPDR announced that they are working at 5 games last year....should we held them accountable if they don't release all of them in the next 2 years?

I just think this industry practice of announcing games, some times almost half a decade before they will come out is fucking stupid. This industry fucking sucks now, every game takes 25 years to make. Elder scrolls six was announced 5 fucking years ago. Thank god for indies because the state of triple a game development is abysmal

 

[Pop]

Maybe Fall of 2025

 

[Ansphn]

2024 maybe

2026

 

[geary]

All AAA mainstream, blockbuster games take at least 3 years to be made (if they have the base done - see HFW, GOWR, SP2) and at least 5 years if they are done by a new created team (with ongoing hiring). If a studio doesn't announce anything for 3 years, everyone starts to think is gone, dead. They need to show they have projects on the roadmap to show people they are working at something. They bad thing is they show people that they are working sometimes before the start ideation....

 

[ProtoByte]

Spiderman - PS4
Spiderman MM - DLC
Spiderman 2 - Straight sequel coming out 5 years after original. Which would be the same amount of time Fable would have taken.

You didn't use your brain before posting did you?

Miles Morales was not DLC, and I do notice you missed out Ratchet. By the time Fable comes out, Wolverine will be out or close to it as well.
This isn’t a knock on Playground, but other than the 7 years of dev time (because they started Fable in either late 2017 or 2018 if memory serves), it's really not hard to see how studio that has only made racing games would have significant development issues for a AAA RPG. The question is whether that time and effort will be worth it.

Spiderman development began in 2014 and was released in 2018. The announcement for Spiderman came out during E3 2016 and again, released in 2018. - 4 years development

Spiderman 2 was announced in 2021 and is scheduled to release in 2023. Development probably began prior to the release of Spiderman, but we will say 2018. - 5 years development.

Fable was announced too soon, sure. But 5-6 year development times are becoming the norm for next-gen titles.

"Development probably began prior to the release of Spider-Man"
No. Miles Morales development probably began prior to the release of Spider-Man. Unless, if by "development", you mean the most basic of story outlining and early scripting. Because the idea that Insomniac was doing that, and Miles Morales, and Ratchet at the same time doesn't work.

 

[quest]

If this is Xmas period 2024 or spring 2025, I’d much rather them hold off showing it until next June.

This is playground studios they won't show anything until it has polish. I would not expect anything until 6-9 months before launch.

 

[ResilientBanana]

Miles Morales was not DLC, and I do notice you missed out Ratchet. By the time Fable comes out, Wolverine will be out or close to it as well.
This isn’t a knock on Playground, but other than the 7 years of dev time (because they started Fable in either late 2017 or 2018 if memory serves), it's really not hard to see how studio that has only made racing games would have significant development issues for a AAA RPG. The question is whether that time and effort will be worth it.


"Development probably began prior to the release of Spider-Man"
No. Miles Morales development probably began prior to the release of Spider-Man. Unless, if by "development", you mean the most basic of story outlining and early scripting. Because the idea that Insomniac was doing that, and Miles Morales, and Ratchet at the same time doesn't work.

Different teams usually work on DLC. They’re also working on Wolverine, Spider-Man 2 and probably 2 other projects we are unaware of. We just saw an article the other day that they have over 500 employees now. You better believe they have different teams, maybe making up of 100 people each, working on different projects at one time. You don’t put all your eggs in one basket, you spread the wealth to get more done.

Games take 4-6 years to make. There's a good chance that when a game nears completion and less people are needed for the game as it gets closer to release they send those people to new teams. So as development of Spiderman 2 comes to a close, they will be sending those people to the Spiderman 2 DLC group, or Wolverine, or Ratchet and Clank and so on. They have franchises to uphold on top of making new ones. Even DLC takes 1-3 years depending on the size, Miles Morales wasn't a whole game, it was a standalone add-on.

Projects overlap, trust me. Its the same as Forza Horizon being made while Fable is also being made by the same group.

 

[ProtoByte]

Different teams usually work on DLC. They’re also working on Wolverine, Spider-Man 2 and probably 2 other projects we are unaware of. We just saw an article the other day that they have over 500 employees now. You better believe they have different teams, maybe making up of 100 people each, working on different projects at one time. You don’t put all your eggs in one basket, you spread the wealth to get more done.

They're early working on a multiplayer game.
And they apparently have 500 employees now. That wasn't even the case when they announced SM2 and Wolverine.

Games take 4-6 years to make. There's a good chance that when a game nears completion and less people are needed for the game as it gets closer to release. So as development of Spiderman 2 comes to a close, they will be sending those people to the Spiderman 2 DLC group, or Wolverine, or Ratchet and Clank and so on. They have franchises to uphold on top of making new ones.

Again, this DLC thing you're talking about isn't relevant. Spider-Man DLC was City that Never Sleeps, not Miles.

Irrespective of that, they'll still have had 4 full games and a smaller project out by the time Fable does.

 

[Kvally]

it's really not hard to see how studio that has only made racing games would have significant development issues for a AAA RPG.

PG is two studios, and the second studio is comprised of mostly developers that have created rpg games.

 

[ResilientBanana]

They're early working on a multiplayer game.
And they apparently have 500 employees now. That wasn't even the case when they announced SM2 and Wolverine.


Again, this DLC thing you're talking about isn't relevant. Spider-Man DLC was City that Never Sleeps, not Miles.

Irrespective of that, they'll still have had 4 full games and a smaller project out by the time Fable does.

Yes, I said they have 500 employees. In 2016 they had around 350 employees. All DLC is relevant to the amount of projects they have going on.

Playground games has approximately 300 right now and they have two massive open world games they are creating with multiplayer features. A lot of Insomniac's titles don't include Multiplayer which adds complexity. Not to mention if the choices that you make in Fable change the world in dramatic ways, which I hope it does, then you're looking at a fairly large game.