Summary
Peter Molyneux was once regarded as one of the most influential game creators of all time and now, the veteran creator ofFablehas announced his brand-new game,Masters of Albion, which shares and expands on the franchise’s world, but it isn’t aFablegame. The ex-Lionhead founder stated during this year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live with host Geoff Keighley, that he had spent some time developing games for mobile, but now he wants to return to PC and console. Molyneux’sMasters of Albionwill take elements from his previous work, specificallyDungeon Keeper,Black And White, and theFablefranchise.
After leaving the studio he had co-founded in March 2012, Molyneux went on to developFable Legends, which was then unfortunately canceleddue to the closure of Lionhead Studiosafter 20 years in the business. As a result, it has been nearly 12 years since aFabletitle has seen the light of day, which makes Playground Games' involvement inFable 4much more important than ever before, as all eyes turn to the studio in the hopes that they can inject the same popularity it once had as well as maintain its trademark uniqueness.
Talking toIGNin an interview, Molyneux clarified the relationship between hisnew god gameMasters of AlbionandFableby saying that they both share elements of the same universe and that Albion will be familiar toFableplayers, but that his game will have differences. Molyneux further explains that because Albion is a historical term for Great Britain, it can’t be copyrighted, but that he’s also unsure if that reasoning would hold up in a legal dispute.
Peter Molyneux Discloses How Masters of Albion Fits Into Fable’s World
“So Albion is the old English name for England and Wales and Cornwall. And I think it’s a really interesting world. It’s an interesting universe that Fable touched upon and, really, I think Albion in Masters Of Albion, it extends and expands that, but it’s not actually Fable 5 or anything like that.”
Masters of Albionseems to contain elements of what Molyneux and the now-defunct Lionhead Studios created with its belovedBlack & Whitegod series. What also seems to be raising a few eyebrows among fans is that even though Molyneux says that his game is set in the world of Albion,the same name asFable’s setting,Fableis still a Microsoft property and this could possibly cause a couple of hiccups.
The trailer forMasters of Albionshowcases some of the interesting god-like elements players will get to experience as a giant hand reaches down to pick a villager by the scruff before placing them to work. Another neat aspect of the game showcases how players expand the settlement of Oakridge, and also how to make an important sandwich. Players can take control of any characters to control them in the third person, which is a pretty useful function when night falls and monsters appear from the shadows of the Albion forest, making it much easier to get stuck into battles. Even though the latestFable 4trailer received 11,000 dislikes, having such an established studio like Playground Games at the helm should restore faith in the franchise’s fanbase.
Fable
WHERE TO PLAY
Fable is an RPG developed by Playground Games and published by Microsoft. Set in Albion, the game challenges players to define what it means to be a hero.
