Fable Reboot to Keep British Humour Across Story, Dialogue and Combat, Playground Games Says
Playground Games says its Fable reboot will keep the series’ British humour across story, dialogue and combat while steering away from crude jokes. Associate directors Craig Littler and Will Kennedy discussed the tone at Gamescom as Fable heads to PS5, Xbox and PC on February 23, 2027.
Littler said British humour 'is a core part of the Fable DNA' and bringing it into Playground’s reboot 'has been a crucial thing that we’re always thinking about, because for us it has to be interwoven throughout the entire game.' He said the humour appears not only in the story and dialogue but also in combat. As an example, he pointed to a spell that turns enemies into chickens, which he said he laughs at every time.
Kennedy said that even when enemies turn back from a chicken, they will still flap around for a while. The moment is visually funny and also gives players a chance to land attacks, he said. 'To us, tone is something that we’re thinking about all the time and in every system, really,' Kennedy said, according to TechRadar, adding that the team looks for 'any opportunity to add that fabled British tone of humor.'
The directors said the team thought carefully about how to present the humour for a modern audience. Not every joke or gag will land the same for everyone, and the humour in older Fable titles may be outdated, they said. Littler confirmed the team had 'steered away from anything that’s too crude.' He said the real test for Fable’s tone is that it 'does just have to be funny,' which depends on strong writing, a brilliant narrative team and the actors hired.
Those actors include British stars and comedians such as Hayley Atwell, Matt King and Natasia Demetriou. Littler said they 'really bring themselves to the role and are also capable of the sincerity that really gets to the heart of fairy tales as well.' He said the team wanted performers who have humour but can also deliver an enormous performance.
Littler also said the cast is given a solid script but allowed some latitude for improvisation. 'At the end of the day, they’re great British comedians,' he said. 'Sometimes they’re going to say something that’s just pure gold. So yes, there is some latitude, and absolutely we reuse it when we can.'
Fable is scheduled to launch on February 23, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.