Fable (2004 video game)

Fable
Developer(s)
  • Big Blue Box Studios
  • Lionhead Studios (The Lost Chapters / Anniversary)
  • Robosoft Technologies (Mac OS X)
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)
  • Louise Copley
  • Rick Martinez
Designer(s)
Programmer(s)
  • Simon Carter
  • Ben Board
Artist(s)
  • Ian Yarwood-Lovett
  • Dean Finnigan
Writer(s)James Leach
Composer(s)
SeriesFable
Platform(s)
Release
14 September 2004
  • Xbox (original)
    • NA: 14 September 2004
    • EU: 8 October 2004
    • AU: 14 October 2004[1]
    Xbox (The Lost Chapters)
    • NA: 18 October 2005
    • EU: 21 October 2005
    • AU: 24 November 2005[2]
    Windows
    • NA: 20 September 2005
    • EU: 23 September 2005
    • AU: 1 October 2005[3]
    Mac OS X
    • NA: 31 March 2008
    Xbox 360 (Anniversary)
    • NA: 4 February 2014
    • AU: 6 February 2014[4]
    • EU: 7 February 2014[5]
    Windows (Anniversary)
    12 September 2014
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Fable is an action role-playing video game, the first in the Fable series. It was developed for the Xbox, Windows, and Mac OS X platforms by Big Blue Box Studios, a satellite developer of Lionhead Studios, and was published by Microsoft Studios. The game shipped for the Xbox in September 2004. An extended version of the game, Fable: The Lost Chapters, was released for the Xbox and Windows in September 2005. A port of the game for Mac OS X, created by Robosoft Technologies and published by Feral Interactive, was released in March 2008 after a delay of more than two years due to licensing issues.

Taking place in a fantasy world called Albion, players control an unnamed hero who joins the Heroes Guild after losing his family during a bandit attack on his hometown. Upon leaving the guild, the player is given a choice to decide whether the hero should live up to his name, or guide him on a path of darkness.

Originally developed under the name Project Ego, Fable's development involved more than 150 people. The game's music was composed by Russell Shaw, with the opening title theme written by Danny Elfman. The game's release was widely anticipated, due in part to Lionhead co-founder Peter Molyneux's enthusiastic hype of the game. The game was originally in development for the Dreamcast, but shifted to the Xbox after the Dreamcast was discontinued.[6]

Fable received generally positive reviews from critics for the quality of its gameplay and execution, though the failure to include many promised features was noted. Fable was the top-selling game of September 2004 and sold more than two million units by 2006. The game was followed by two sequels, Fable II in 2008, Fable III in 2010 and a reboot in development by Playground Games. Fable Anniversary, a high-definition remake of the game that includes The Lost Chapters, was released for the Xbox 360 and Windows in February 2014.[7]

  1. ^ van Leuveren, Luke (10 October 2004). "Updated Australian Release List - 03/10/04". PALGN. PAL Gaming Network. Archived from the original on 10 September 2006. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  2. ^ "New Releases". Gameplanet. Archived from the original on 4 December 2005. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Fable: The Lost Chapters (PC Games)". Release: 1st October 2005. Archived from the original on 18 June 2006. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  4. ^ Te, Zorine (2 February 2014). "AU New Releases February 3-9: Fable Anniversary". GameSpot. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  5. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (18 January 2014). "Fable Trilogy confirmed for February". Eurogamer. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  6. ^ "The Dreamcast Died Too Soon, but Its Legacy Lives on - the Ringer". 11 September 2019. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  7. ^ Staff (4 June 2013). "Relive the Magic with Fable Anniversary for Xbox 360". Xbox Wire. Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2013.