• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Fable might have been scaled down due to engine issues and lack of wrpg expertise. Could release later than expected.

Ozriel

M$FT
If thats the case why are there reports saying the opposite? Why is there developers on record saying going from Horizon to Fable has its own challenges? And you say B team was built for fable and more than likely its second team that is dedicated for Fable. But then there are a bunch of hires leaked for them looking for people with questing, story narrative experience.?


[/URL][/URL]



Yea sorry but if any of this has any weight it feels from the outside looking in, that they bit off more than they can chew. So until we see it, if we ever see it anytime soon we all are speculating.

But to announce the game 2018, then 4 years later have nothing to show outside of a CGI teaser. It seems the reports of it being very slow seem to be true in terms of development progress.

The ‘challenges’ there were in respect to their initial plans of making an open world RPG faster and with less resources than the likes of Ubisoft. The ‘slowdown’ isn’t pointing to development hell or anything like that…instead the dev is hinting at a realistic adjustment of initial timelines. None of that indicates trouble.

Secondly, the Fable team has been hiring since 2018. You’ve taken that (machine translated) quote out of context since it clearly refers to the state of the studio BEFORE recruitment. Unless you imagine the folks brought in from Sony, BioWare, Rocksteady et Al were the ones he was referring to as having only car racing experience.

In fact, the dev ends the section on Fable with incredibly optimistic impressions of the work they’re doing, and even specifically cites the additional folks they’ve brought in as a highlight.

5rMycd9.jpg


Conveniently, you omit that part 😀

Feel free to go to the Vandal source link and translate it for yourself.
 
Last edited:

Papacheeks

Banned

So I read this, and it does not disprove issues seen that were leaked by developer that left studio.

If we see nothing next year, then I think it safe to assume development issues regardless of what were the cause, definitely happened.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?

So I read this, and it does not disprove issues seen that were leaked by developer that left studio.

If we see nothing next year, then I think it safe to assume development issues regardless of what were the cause, definitely happened.

A producer on the game is saying it's a very common process for AAA games.

What's to disprove about a common practice ?

The bulk of T10 was busy with FH5 over 2021, now that the game has shipped successfully, a smaller splinter can focus on the DLC and the main workforce can focus on developing Fable. Don't expect it any time soon.
 
Last edited:

Topher

Gold Member
"A lot of the current upcoming Xbox games content roadmap has only been revealed through leaks, too. We know Microsoft has a lot of games coming as a result, from first-party studios like InXile, to third-party publishing deals like Stoic's Project Belfry. However, Microsoft has also been incredibly shy to show off games from its announced lineup of titles, too. We haven't seen a shred of gameplay from Contraband. We haven't seen any in-engine action from State of Decay 3. It feels like Playground's Fable project has been completely missing in action. Perfect Dark is AWOL. We know nothing of Indiana Jones, Elder Scrolls 6, or Gears 6. We don't know how Hellblade 2 builds on the original. We have no idea what Compulsion's next game will be like. We don't know if Rare's Everwild will ever launch. The list goes on."

I'm wondering how much this Activision Blizzard acquisition has to do with some of this. Did the FTC lawsuit really hit Microsoft that hard?

They did decide to try to create their own new engine with Halo Infinite though

And they are still using Forza for Fable, right?
 
Last edited:

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
"A lot of the current upcoming Xbox games content roadmap has only been revealed through leaks, too. We know Microsoft has a lot of games coming as a result, from first-party studios like InXile, to third-party publishing deals like Stoic's Project Belfry. However, Microsoft has also been incredibly shy to show off games from its announced lineup of titles, too. We haven't seen a shred of gameplay from Contraband. We haven't seen any in-engine action from State of Decay 3. It feels like Playground's Fable project has been completely missing in action. Perfect Dark is AWOL. We know nothing of Indiana Jones, Elder Scrolls 6, or Gears 6. We don't know how Hellblade 2 builds on the original. We have no idea what Compulsion's next game will be like. We don't know if Rare's Everwild will ever launch. The list goes on."

I'm wondering how much this Activision Blizzard acquisition has to do with some of this. Did the FTC lawsuit really hit Microsoft that hard?



And they are still using Forza for Fable, right?
Absolutely GIF by chuber channel
 

Ezekiel_

Banned
Does the Unreal Engine license thingy extend to Gamepass?
How do they get paid?
That's a good point.

Usually UE5 has a 5% royalty due only if you are distributing an off-the-shelf product that incorporates Unreal Engine code (such as a game) and the lifetime gross revenue from that product exceeds $1 million USD; in this case, the first $1 million remains royalty-exempt.

For a first party game that releases day 1 on a subscription service, some of the royalties from the subscription plan must be taken into account, and for the duration that the game remains on the service.

For a day 1 game that will stay forever on the sub plan, I assume they'll have to negotiate a deal, otherwise they'll be paying royalties forever.
 

Ozriel

M$FT


Lmao, this seems like BS. We’ve had direct discussion on the game’s progress from the Spanish dev that spent years there…and certainly Playground games uses - and is especially proficient in - ForzaTech.

Not to mention a lot of Microsoft studios use Unreal Engine. Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Coalition etc.

They did decide to try to create their own new engine with Halo Infinite though instead of just going with a proven engine

Their ‘new engine’ is an upgraded version of the engine that’s been in use since the 343 Halo days. That’s pretty much building off a proven engine.

I believe I read that Playground pitched the whole idea to Microsoft with being able to port Forza Tech to an open world RPG. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong there, but yeah, that's the engine they are using.

Correct. Playground pitched to Microsoft and they most certainly put forward the engine at that discussion.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
Gears was ALWAYS in UE, even when MS didn't own the IP.

State of Decay 3 is UE. Ninja Theory is using UE for all their projects. I believe Compulsion Games new one is UE too. Inxile’s new AAA RPG is UE5. Obsidian’s Avowed is UE5.
I have 0 faith in this game. It's had too much development issues to be anything but an average game using the Fable name.

There are precisely zero credible reports of development issues for this game.
 

Pedro Motta

Member
State of Decay 3 is UE. Ninja Theory is using UE for all their projects. I believe Compulsion Games new one is UE too. Inxile’s new AAA RPG is UE5. Obsidian’s Avowed is UE5.
Exactly, there are a ton of more credible evidence of this than to mention Gears.
 

poodaddy

Member
It's worrying how many people lack critical thinking.
This. If you look at this thread from an outside perspective it's kind of hilarious. There are absolutely no credible reports of internal development issues whatsoever, a notorious Sony fan comes in to express his concern about an obviously nonsense claim with zero sense behind it, and mission accomplished: folks are speaking of the games fictional issues as if they are a foregone conclusion now. Quite something to behold.
 

Umbasaborne

Banned
This. If you look at this thread from an outside perspective it's kind of hilarious. There are absolutely no credible reports of internal development issues whatsoever, a notorious Sony fan comes in to express his concern about an obviously nonsense claim with zero sense behind it, and mission accomplished: folks are speaking of the games fictional issues as if they are a foregone conclusion now. Quite something to behold.
You have just as many people sucking that sweet sweet copium too, by throwing their hands over their ears and yelling “everything is fine!!” The truth of the matter is that fable 4 began development in 2017. https://www.pcgamesn.com/fable-4/how-long-development

That was 5 years ago. The fact that there is nothing to show after 5 years is worrying.
 

Kimahri

Banned
You have just as many people sucking that sweet sweet copium too, by throwing their hands over their ears and yelling “everything is fine!!” The truth of the matter is that fable 4 began development in 2017. https://www.pcgamesn.com/fable-4/how-long-development

That was 5 years ago. The fact that there is nothing to show after 5 years is worrying.
No, it isn't. You make a bizarre conclusion here. Not buying into fear mongering is not equal to sucking sweet copium.

If peoole do that after several credible reports and insider comments, sure, then it's copium.

But as of now, it's just random noise.

A huge new game from what is pretty much a new studio will take time. 5 years from pre prod is nothing
 
Eh, you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out there would be issues.

It’s like if EA came out and said “we’re handing over the reigns of Mass Effect to… Codemasters!” — yeah, good luck…

Doubly weird decision when you own like 4 other developers who specialize exactly this type of game.
 
Last edited:

Black_Stride

do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Weird quite a few of their in-development games are UE5 based.

Guessing this info is dated before the wide-US5 adaptation ?
Sounds like bullshit to me through and through cuz Internal Tools/Engines at XGS is what ForzaTech and SlipSpace?

Further since the launch of the Xbox One....other than Halo and Forza, all their "first party" titles have used third party engines?
So clearly thats not an old policy and certainly aint a new one cuz....well the announcements speak for themselves.
Unless Fable Playground was pitched like before the Xbox One launch (when Fable Legends was actively in development.....using Unreal Engine no less).....then im 98% sure this is nonsense.

number-one-bullshit-khabib-nurmagomedov.gif
 

Ozriel

M$FT
You have just as many people sucking that sweet sweet copium too, by throwing their hands over their ears and yelling “everything is fine!!” The truth of the matter is that fable 4 began development in 2017. https://www.pcgamesn.com/fable-4/how-long-development

Link says the person started working on Fable since 2017. Coincided with their successful pitch to MS in that year. They started recruiting heavily for the project in 2018. So no, not 5 years of active development

That was 5 years ago. The fact that there is nothing to show after 5 years is worrying.

The fact that they haven’t shown anything doesn’t mean there’s nothing to show. But it’s sobering to know you’re literally shaking rn with worry and concern.
 

Umbasaborne

Banned
Link says the person started working on Fable since 2017. Coincided with their successful pitch to MS in that year. They started recruiting heavily for the project in 2018. So no, not 5 years of active development



The fact that they haven’t shown anything doesn’t mean there’s nothing to show. But it’s sobering to know you’re literally shaking rn with worry and concern.
Sounds to me like your making excuses. If Microsofts most ardent fans and supporters keep giving them free passes for their numerous titles currently locked in some form of development hell, then things will never change. Im an xbox fan, im not looking at this as a a great gotcha moment for my favorite brand playstation (they have their own problems). I want them to succeed. They have many exciting projects in the work, but nearly all the news and rumors that have come out of these projects so far have been about how they are being mismanaged, or having engine issues ect… this wouldn’t be so bad if we got more regular updates and trailers for these games but we dont. So here we are, two years after the cg teaser for fable with nothing to show for it but negative rumors. It is actively frustrating as an xbox fan to watch sony and nintendo release games in a post covid world without a problem but for Microsoft its a huge issue. Thats to say nothing of course about how microsoft supposedly has 3 big new games coming in the next 7 months, but who knows at this point because they arent saying shit. If those game need another delay then fine, just say it, dont jerk around your fans.
 
Last edited:

Ozriel

M$FT
Eh, you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out there would be issues.

It’s like if EA came out and said “we’re handing over the reigns of Mass Effect to… Codemasters!” — yeah, good luck…


You certainly don’t need to be Sherlock to find the tons of articles about Playground hiring extensively for Fable, with tons of industry RPG veterans involved in the game.

Or even to know that devs have historically pivoted to making different genres. From Guerilla games turning away from the previous exclusively FPS focus to making Horizon Zero Dawn. Or Double Helix going from Army Men to Killer Instinct, their first ever fighting game.

Doubly weird decision when you own like 4 other developers who specialize exactly this type of game.

When the game was pitched in 2017, Microsoft didn’t own those 4 studios. Unless you think they’ve mastered time travel…
 
I don't believe this, for a second. You mean to tell me, absolutely none of the key developers or creative in Playground Games are familiar with PLAYING wrpg games? They don't need to know "how to make them", they need to be familiar with how they're played and the mechanics that make them what they are. And you don't need to have a history of making that, to make that. What you need are competent coders, designers, writers, animators...and then you collaborate to make what you understand. You're telling me, in this day and age, no one there has an understanding of wrpgs? They've never played them before? They don't have help from others who have played them before, or have even made them (and they obviously do). They don't have any games to reference from either? Y'all really believe anything nowadays without even thinking a little about what you're hearing. Don't be so gullible.

The only rumor that has any legitimacy behind it, might be the engine limitations. That is a legitimate concern that might have way more legitimacy behind it, than "well they never made a wrpg before, so..."
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom