When Playground Games was founded in 2010, its objective was straightforward: to make the best cars in video games. Operating out of an unassuming white building in Leamington Spa, the studio sought to challenge Gran Turismo with its critically acclaimed British racing alternative: the acclaimed free-roaming Forza Horizon series. Yet as the team grew, so did their ambitions.
Now they are making the most intriguing British fantasy game we have seen in many years. For those who have never ventured into Albion, Fable is a quintessentially British role playing game. Created by Lionhead Studios for the original Xbox in 2004, it boasted cheeky charm alongside world-altering player choices, and its droll writing was brought to life in later iterations by national treasures such as Stephen Fry and Simon Pegg.
Thanks to its unique blend of farce and fantasy, Fable grew into a globally beloved franchise – before Microsoft unceremoniously shuttered Lionhead in 2016, after mandating that the studio turn its star series into a multiplayer game. The result, Fable Legends, was never released. Now, following a 10-year limbo, Playground is resuscitating the dormant series.
And despite their commercial success, driving games rarely command the same reverence or critical respect as blockbuster narrative games. For Fulton, taking on an action RPG was an opportunity to prove that Playground belong among the world’s best. This project definitely wasn’t going to have cars, but open worlds felt like an area where we had transferable skills.” Playground was an independent studio at the time, but given that Xbox was the home of the Forza Horizon series, Microsoft seemed an obvious choice of partner.
It was all we could think about.” After signing the deal in 2017, Playground suddenly needed to build a massive team overnight, and scrambled to merge their talented torque-heads with developers well-versed in Tolkien. The human cost meant bringing hundreds of people from all over the world, many of whom relocated solely because they were fans of Fable.” At the Gamescom expo in Germany, I play the result of the studio’s efforts. While I don’t get to explore much of Albion in this demo, as I fight my way through a dungeon, the combat soon dispels any lingering doubts about Playground’s action chops.
Thrust into a wraith-ridden mine, my hero faces an ambush of crackling skeletal knights. Every attack lands with tactile weight, from the heavy crunch of a hammer to the crisp thwick of a bowstring, sending skeletons exploding into bone splinters. When floating wraiths descend in the aptly named Wraithmarsh, fireballs and lightning spells land with spectacle.
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