Microsoft Renews Fable Trademark With 'Intent To Use'
The possibility of another Fable game grows more likely, as it appears as if Microsoft has applied to renew the RPG’s trademark. For those unfamiliar, Fable is a series of action role-playing games that emphasized the importance of the player's choices, and the impact they would have on the game's world and its inhabitants' perception of you. Taking place in the fictional nation of Albion, the setting of the original Fable resembles that of medieval Europe, with the second and third games progressing in time to the 17th century and the industrial revolution.
The gameplay of the first three Fable titles takes after many RPG's that have come before it, accepting various quests, levelling up your character's skills and abilities, and fighting off hordes of enemies with magic or weaponry. After the release of Fable 3, two spin-off games were released in 2012 before LionHead Studios, the game's developer, closed in 2016. Since then, a free-to-play, digital card game was released in 2017, under the name Fable Fortune - which has just recently shut down, only three years after its launch. Since then, there have been no official updates on the possible return to Albion; that is until now.
According to a recent trademark filing on June 26th, Microsoft applied to renew Fable's trademark. Although it's not uncommon for companies to renew trademarks of IPs they own, Microsoft has tagged the property with an "Intent to Use," which has led fans to believe that a new game is in the works. If true, this would be the first main-line Fable game to appear since 2010. But with Crackdown 3 being released in 2019, it wouldn't be the first time Xbox has resurrected an old property.
Over the past couple of years, rumors of a new game have circulated over the web, with the most recent being that Microsoft would be announcing a Fable revival at E3 2019. Of course, this report never came to bear any fruit, but just based on the excitement circulating around the renewal of a trademark, it's clear that interest for a sequel is present in fans of the series.
Fable was one of those games that captured the attention and imagination of gamers who felt a call to adventure. With the original game releasing over 15 years ago, fans of the series should go back and see just what made these games so special, especially now that all three are on Xbox Game Pass. Granted, nostalgia won't be able to hide all of the game's imperfections, but that can just be seen as something to improve upon in its potential return to a new generation of adventurers.
Source: USPTO.report