Peter Molyneux ends the rumors with an official announcement

Oct 22, 2009 20:31 GMT  ·  By

A lot of rumors have been flying around about a possible connection between Fable 3 and Project Natal. Most of the annoying little insects have been raised by Peter Molyneux, a game designer for Lionhead Studios with a history of talking out of place. Molyneux became a famous figure after the huge statements he gave regarding the first Fable game, in which he announced a huge number of appealing features. His enthusiasm for the title was no longer shared by the fans when most of these features weren't actually included in the game.

But those rumors have become actual news and Project Natal's involvement in Fable 3 has been set in stone. The confirmation comes, of course, from Molyneux himself. During a lecture at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, or BAFTA, Lionhead's game designer gave some definitive details about the RPG and its collaboration with the new motion controller. How exactly the two projects will interact and how Natal will help control the in-game character is still uncertain, but it's only a matter of time before Molyneux passes us another hot gossip.

Project Natal isn't the first device to make use of the motion-controller idea, but it's the first one that isn't designed as a hand-held controller. Natal will make use of the infrared specter to map out the entire environment in which it's placed and recognize the player's movements and actions. The actual space of the gaming area won't be a problem, since Natal will analyze the outline of the objects in the room and calibrate the game space to accommodate them. One problem that has still remained a bit of a mystery is how exactly the movement will be registered by the device. It would be easy to interpret the player strolling across the room, but, unless they're on an omnidirectional treadmill, they will eventually run into a wall.

Fable 3 is, as the name suggests, the third installment in the Fable series. The first Fable was launched on September 14, 2004 and was a role-playing game with a pretty unique idea. The players would have the chance to develop their character since his early years as a boy and up to the climactic boss fight at the end of the game. The character's appearance would be influenced by his decisions and his choice to become a hero or a villain. The title proved to be a success, even with Molyneux's somewhat deceitful description of it and, in no time at all, it received a sequel. Fable 3 is expected to arrive sometime in 2010, and has been, so far, the biggest name to support the Project Natal.