After lying dormant for a long time, the announcement of a new Fable game has me excited about the series' return, although the wait continues to be a painful one. Originally planned for a 2025 release, Fable has been delayed to 2026, meaning that it will hopefully be released six years after its initial announcement back in 2020. This might not be the news that many Fable fans wanted to hear, especially since the series hasn't had a game since Fable: The Journey back in 2012, but a delay is better than the alternative.

Fable is a series that has been known for its torrid development stories under Lionhead, and it seems that Playground Games (the developer behind Forza Horizon that's helming the new game) has had its own struggles. Before being shut down, Lionhead worked on Fable Legends, which sought to bring the series to the Xbox One, but was eventually canceled. It doesn't look likely that the series will suffer another cancelation, and this delay might actually be beneficial to the final product when fans finally do get their hands on it in 2026.

Delaying Games Is The Best Move For Fans

Having A Polished Game On Release Is Better Than A Buggy Mess

Plenty of AAA games have suffered from buggy releases in an effort to meet release windows. Cyberpunk 2077 nearly destroyed CD Projekt Red's reputation on its release, and while it has been restored thanks to a lot of work, not all game developers have recovered nearly as well. Releasing unfinished games has been the death of many promising projects, and I've had my fair share of disappointments from rushed launches. Fable's delay will help it avoid a similar fate.

Developer Playground Games was founded in 2009, making it considerably younger than the Fable franchise.

While delays are often annoying, for a game with as much hype behind it as Fable, it needs to be right at launch, especially because many Xbox titles haven't hit the ground running in the way that Microsoft has wanted them to. Although it departs from the stylized aesthetic of the series, Fable does look to be an ambitious title with its gorgeous visuals and impressive gameplay. It's better to show ambition and get it right than play it safe and still release an unfinished or unremarkable title.

2025 Already Has A Packed Roster - & GTA 6

2026 Should Have Less To Compete With

Competition is something that game developers can often fear. Baldur's Gate 3 was released early to avoid launching in the same window as Starfield, and Fable can benefit from a delay that serves the same purpose. There are plenty of massive releases in 2025, with games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Avowed, and Monster Hunter Wilds kicking off Q1.

Later in the year, hyped games like Elden Ring Nightreign and Borderlands 4 are also on the way, and that's not even mentioning the biggest name of the year, GTA 6. Nintendo's planned launch of the Switch 2 will also presumably lead to some major first-party titles that could be among the year's most significant successes, and although most of these games aren't necessarily directly competitive with Fable, they could easily crowd it out of the spotlight and awards discussion.

By delaying Fable until 2026, the game can be given a fair shot and not compete with these big titles. There could be an argument that a good game will always thrive, but the series has been dormant for some time and isn't the name that Elder Ring or Borderlands are, let alone GTA. Fable deserves a fair chance, especially after Lionshead Studios was shut down, and this delay will help give it that chance, even if it is frustrating for fans.