Peter Molyneux admits that Fable 3 needed more time and reveals the secret canceled project by Xbox

The creator of the saga confesses that development was too short and that Lionhead had another game in progress.

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The legendary British designer Peter Molyneux, responsible for Fable and Black & White, has reflected on the development of Fable 3, one of the most divisive games from Lionhead Studios. In statements to Edge Magazine, Molyneux acknowledged that the project needed much more time than it had, and that the pressure to release it quickly affected the final result.

According to the creator, Fable 3 was developed in just 18 months, when the original plan required at least three years. The studio had just published Fable 2 in 2008, and just two years later, Microsoft was already asking for its direct sequel. The project’s ambition (which allowed the player to go from hero to king and make moral decisions that affected the world) couldn’t be completed as he had imagined.

I should have fought for more time. If I hadn’t left, I would have said: ‘Sorry, the game isn’t ready.’ It causes me enormous distress to think about it. I shouldn’t have left when I did.

The mysterious “All Of Us”: the game canceled after Lionhead’s closure

Molyneux also revealed that, before his departure, Lionhead Studios had two projects in preparation: Fable 4 and a completely new title called All Of Us. The latter was going to be a hybrid experiment between construction, role-playing, and battle royale, a concept ahead of its time.

All Of Us was crazy,” he explained. “It was a mix between world-building, role-playing, and something similar to battle royale. You could enter a dungeon and drop stalactites on enemies. It was quite innovative, but it needed a visionary to take it to the end.

The creative explained that, after announcing his departure from Lionhead, Microsoft decided to close the studio. Although he managed to delay the decision temporarily, ensuring that the team could still be profitable, the end came soon after.

With Fable 3 becoming a cult classic (loved by some, criticized by others), Molyneux’s statements make it clear that the saga could have taken a very different path if the studio had had more time and creative support.