14 DAY TRIAL // Fable Heroes, the upcoming side-scrolling action title from Lionhead, will not in any way influence the development of core titles in the franchise and is only a way of expanding the game universe and offering a fresh experience to the fans.
Ted Timmins, the leading designer working on the new Fable at Lionhead, told Eurogamer that, “I know that there are so many people out there desperate for news on any future Fable titles, but I hope that people see it as an accompaniment to the franchise and trying to expand and take it down a slightly different route about hack-and-slash and being fun.”
The developer understands that some players are frustrated by the new features and by the new approach, but he says that they should trust the development team.
He added, “It’s still a Lionhead game, but it went through a very different process, coming from a Creative Day. It’s credit to Lionhead and Microsoft that they’re willing to take a chance on some guys that have never really done anything like it before. This doesn’t in any way shape the future direction of Lionhead or the games we release.”
Timmins also talked about the departure of Peter Molyneux, the founder of Lionhead and the main creative force behind the Fable series, saying that he was impossible to replace but that the company has plenty of talented individuals who can step in and deliver solid ideas and content.
Fable Heroes will be launched during this week on the Xbox Live Arcade service from Microsoft and The Journey, another spin-off, is set to be delivered in September exclusively on the Xbox 360 with Kinect.
Peter Molyneux has moved to a smaller developer called 22 Cans, which is set to deliver more innovative titles and is currently staffing up, with more than 1,000 developers interested in working with the Fable and Black & White creator.