Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Lionhead Isn't Charging For Fable Legends Because It's An Experiment
Today at a Microsoft press event in Germany, we chatted with Fable Legends game director David Eckelberry about taking the franchise in a new direction.
Fable Legends isn't exactly the epic RPG that fans have come to expect from the Fable name. Instead, it's a free-to-play, four-versus-one game. Four heroes work cooperatively to complete missions, while one player takes on the role of the villain and tries to stop them by setting traps and sending minions to kill them. We asked Eckelberry why Lionhead went in such a different direction and if fans would still find the Fable lore they know and love.
Eckelberry discussed with us how the team loves the brand and wants to see it expand. "The same team that loves Albion is the same team making these characters, stories, and jokes with the British sense of humor," he says.
Eckelberry then went on discuss about why the team decided to make the game free-to-play. "We're asking our fans to let us try new things," he says. "It's not to say we wouldn't ever do a single-player experience again. We loved the previous Fables, too. When we decided to be this experimental, we took all the risks on ourselves."
Lionhead recognizes that players might be hesitant to spend $60 on a title that diverges from the series' roots so drastically. "We're hoping at the end of the day, the answer is 'We would have certainly given you $60 for this,'" Eckleberry says. "We're letting everyone on the Xbox One and Windows 10 download it, play it for a few hours, and figure it out themselves."
As for when you can test out the game, Fable Legends should be available in open beta this holiday. Those hoping to play in the closed beta might do well to try to get in on Windows 10, Eckleberry tells us. Now that the new operating system has launched, Lionhead will be looking to add more players on that platform.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
