Still, one would expect that Playground and Microsoft would at least try to toot Fable’s horn more in order to drum up publicity. As the reincarnation of a classic fantasy RPG series, Playground’s Fable is a big deal. Another game may be responsible for Microsoft’s more modest approach to discussing Fable: Scalebound. Not so long ago, Scalebound taught Microsoft the dangers of promising huge things when a game was still in early development. Microsoft and Playground may be trying to protect Fable from a similar fate.
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The Rise and Fall of Scalebound
For those who don’t remember, Scalebound was an action-RPG in development by Bayonetta creator PlatinumGames. In Scalebound, players took control of Drew and his dragon companion Thuban while exploring the world of Draconis. Not only could players wield a variety of dragon-themed magical powers through Drew, but they could command Thuban in battle and occasionally take control over him. On top of that, Scalebound would feature multiplayer co-op, letting players team up with others and their respective dragons to battle colossal bosses. Naturally, Scalebound’s unique concept and impressive gameplay reveals generated a ton of hype.
Unfortunately, that hype contributed to Scalebound’s downfall. The game was canceled in early 2017, and while not much information was revealed at first, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer later shed light on the matter. It seems Scalebound getting revealed early in development and constantly appearing at Microsoft showcases generated a ton of pressure to create a massive, outstanding game, raising the bar for PlatinumGames internally. Eventually, Platinum and Microsoft agreed that it simply didn’t seem feasible to deliver a Scalebound experience living up to expectations, and so the game was canceled. Spencer stated his regret for showing off Scalebound so early, considering the duress that it put Platinum and Microsoft under.
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Fable Seems to Have Learned From Scalebound
Fable’s silence makes more sense with the context of Scalebound’s troubled journey. Hyping up Fable as constantly as possible certainly generates publicity, but it also creates a lot of pressure for Playground Games. No matter what state Fable is currently in, keeping it under wraps until it’s nearly finished is probably safer. Fable fans have been waiting for a new game for years, thanks in-part to Fable Legends’ cancellation in 2016, so getting Playground’s Fable canceled through excessive press would be a major disappointment.
Learning from Scalebound is especially important because Playground Games is out of its comfort zone. While PlatinumGames was known for action-centric games like Bayonetta when it started Scalebound, Playground Games is almost entirely known for the Forza Horizon series. Playground’s new journey into the RPG genre could suffer from excessive time in the public eye and lofty promises about Fable’s contents. A modest approach to Fable publicity is just what Playground needs right now. Even though it’s a shame that Scalebound lies dormant for now, it’s good to see that Microsoft has learned from the experience.
Fable is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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