Fable has been one of the hallmarks of the modern RPG. Not only because of the series' characteristic graphics and tone signature, with its cartoonish characters, hub world design, and Monty Python-esque sense of humor. It was also due, in no small part, to Peter Molyneux's grandiose sales of his vision for the franchise (which never materialized... but could they ever, really?)

Now, after Microsoft killed off the franchise with its free-to-play bet gone wrong in Fable Legends, it seemed the franchise's future was dark and absent of any real interest in development. However, it seems all hope is not yet lost, as reports (saying they're "sources close from the project") have surfaced that Microsoft has delivered the keys to the Fable universe to Playground Games, responsible for the development of the Forza Horizon series of games. The studio is (also reportedly) in the process of hiring new talent for the expected 200-strong project team set to work on the game at Playground's newly-established second office in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. A quick tour by the studio's website, however, reveals that when it comes to careers, Playground Games are "unable to offer internships or work placements at this time.The new Fable is apparently being developed with a fully open-world, character-driven adventure in mind. Here's hoping that vision pans out, really. It's understandable, with the success of games like The Witcher 3, that that would be the general direction to be pursued for a new Fable installment; however, it remains to be seen whether Microsoft's multiplayer aspirations (best demonstrated with Fable Legends and its fiasco) do translate to the new title, or if it's going to be a slowly dying breed of single-player focused, story and character driven games, as reports peg it. This editor would certainly love so.