After Lionhead Studios curiously updated their forums with a new section to discuss Fable, rumor began to circulate of a potential Fable 4 announcement at E3. Well, while that possibility is still highly likely, we now know the true purpose of the forum. Our first “hint” came in the form of this not-so-cryptic tweet:
https://twitter.com/LionheadStudios/status/341823566871945216
The link they provided in that tweet then led to this trailer, which does everything but outright announce an HD remake of the original Fable.
Shortly after, Major Nelson updated his blog with a podcast where he talked to Lionhead lead designer Ted Timmins about the officially announced Fable Anniversary HD. The updated version of the first Fable game includes 1080p HD visuals, Achievements, and remastered lighting and animation courtesy of Unreal Engine 3. Fable Anniversary will also include all of the extra content contained within Fable: The Lost Chapters and will apparently feature an updated save system.
According to Timmins, ““we’ve been looking at the textures, the models, the meshes, the particle effects… the whole thing has been redone.” Further explaining what to expect from the HD re-release, he told Major Nelson, “then we’ve got a new facial animation system and new cut-scene animations, so all of the cut-scenes look absolutely incredible now – they’re much more up to what you expect from modern day standards.”
Expect to hear and see more about the game next week at E3. Until then, Fable Anniversary HD is scheduled to release on Xbox 360 sometime during the holiday season, leaning closer to a Christmas-time release.
Were you folks among the seemingly endless waves of fans who constantly hounded Lionhead about a remake of the original Fable? Would you rather hear about Fable 4, or an otherwise original adventure set in the Fable universe, instead of an HD remake? Who’s hoping the HD title finds its way onto the Xbox One? Let us know in the usual place, and don’t forget to like IGXPro on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or give us the ‘ol +1 on Google+.
