{
  "id": 7593345,
  "title": "Fable Developer Explains Why Xbox 'Protected' the Project Over Its Long Development Cycle, Amid Layoffs and Studio Closures Elsewhere",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/fable-developer-explains-why-xbox-protected-the-project-over-its-long",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-15T16:10:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IGN",
    "slug": "ign",
    "url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/fable-developer-explains-why-xbox-protected-the-project-over-its-long-development-cycle-amid-layoffs-and-studio-closures-elsewhere"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Playground Games, the developer behind the upcoming RPG Fable, has explained how its project survived a decade-long development cycle amidst massive layoffs and studio closures at Xbox. The company began building the team for Fable in 2017, a year after Microsoft shut down Lionhead Studios, the original creator of the Fable series. When work on Fable started, Microsoft had not yet acquired several key companies like Compulsion Games, Double Fine, Undead Labs, and Ninja Theory, nor had it established The Initiative or made significant acquisitions like Bethesda or Activision Blizzard. Throughout this period, Xbox underwent multiple waves of layoffs, including 1,900 jobs in January 2024, 650 staff in the following month, and the closure of Arkane Austin. In 2023, Microsoft laid off 9,000 workers as it shifted focus towards AI spending, ultimately affecting 3,200 employees by the current year, with concerns raised about the future of Arkane Lyon. Despite these challenges, Fable remained vital to Xbox, as stated by director Ralph Fulton. Fulton emphasized that Fable is an important game and holds significant importance to the platform and video games as a whole, offering a unique combination of elements. The successful Forza Horizon series and the ongoing development of Fable likely contributed to Xbox's decision to continue with the game's lengthy development, even as it dropped other untested ideas. With Fable set to launch on February 23, 2027, fans eagerly await its release.",
  "summary": "Fable maker Playground Games has detailed how its upcoming RPG survived a decade in development, amid layoffs and studio closures across the rest of Xbox.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}