Following Microsoft’s closure of Lionhead Studios just a month ago, a lenghty report by Eurogamer revealed all the details on the fall of the game studio which had no other choice but to cease all development on cooperative action role-playing video game Fable Legends. However, all hope is not lost for Fable fans as according to a new report from IGN another Fable game could still see the light of day, even if it would not exactly be a legitimate sequel to first three Fable games.
According to the report, three Lionhead Studios veterans have just founded a new independent game studio called Flaming Fowl which is gearing up to release a free-to-play Fable game called Fable Fortune. This will be a digital card game (a la Hearthstone) and was actually in Lionhead Studios’ pipeline for 18 months before the studio’s closure. IGN adds that the idea for the game originally came to life eight years ago during the development of Fable 2, though real work on the game only started in 2014 in partnership with London developer Mediatonic. While Microsoft will allow Flaming Fowl to license the Fable name, the gaming studio has yet to find a publisher and is therefore ready to start a Kickstarter campaign to complete the game before the end of 2017.
And it seems there is still some work to do as Flaming Fowl Studios co-founder Mike West told IGN that “we’re looking to build this game with the fans and then potentially morph and change things about the game over time.” To help shape the game features (which could include single player campaigns, limited draft-style play and 2v2 PvP modes), Kickstarter backers will be able to access closed forums and exchange with the developing team.
While it’s quite surprising to see Microsoft allow the Fable franchise to stay alive through the work of former Fable developers, Flaming Fowl Studios co-founder Craig Oman is really confident that Fable fans will we delighted by the game:
“I think this is something that Fable fans are going to enjoy. We’re definitely very keen to keep giving them new and interesting things. We have the ability to add new creatures and characters to this game and the world of Albion. I think we can certainly give them that Fable fix that they’ll be looking for. If you want a Fable game, at the moment, this is your Fable game.”
This Kickstarter campaign will kick off tomorrow at 3pm BST / 10am ET / 7am PT and the independent gaming studio hopes to “raise at least £250,000 in four weeks, with multiple stretch goals planned beyond that” according to IGN.” Furthermore, a closed beta of Fable Fortune is expected to be released a few weeks before the end of the Kickstarter campaign. This will be followed by an open beta on Xbox One and PCs in October, and the full release of the game is planned for late 2017.
If you want to know more about the game, we invite you to read the full report on IGN which includes a 17-minute video of the game plus more gameplay details. We can’t wait to see if this Kickstarter campaign will get support from Fable fans, let us know in the comments if you think the Fable franchise deserves to live on.
