14 DAY TRIAL // Lionhead, as the developer, and Microsoft Game Studios, as the publisher, have announced that the upcoming PC version of the action and role-playing game Fable III will be sold through the Steam digital distribution platform from Valve in addition to the Games for Windows Marketplace.
The game will be launched on the same date, May 17 in North America and May 20 in Europe, on both digital distribution service and also at retail locations.
The game can already be pre-ordered on both Steam and on Games for Windows Marketplace.
Those who pick up Fable III on Steam will get the Rebel Weapon and Tattoo Pack, which comes with four weapons and five exclusive body options that can be used to create a more personalized hero.
Pre-ordering on Games for Windows Live will get a gamer access to Fable – The Lost Chapters, the first installment in the franchise that was launched on the PC with some extra content.
Fable II has not been launched on the PC and can only be played on the Xbox 360.
The PC version of the third game in the series comes complete with support for three-dimensional gaming and adds a new Hardcore mode, which makes the game significantly more challenging for those who have experience with Fable and with its action-oriented combat system.
When Fable III was initially announced by Microsoft and Lionhead, the two companies said that the PC version would be launched at the same time as the Xbox 360 one, as a sign of the commitment they have to the PC as a gaming medium.
This has not happened and at times it seems that the PC version of Fable III would never see the light of day.
The Steam-based launch can be seen as a quiet admission that Games for Windows Live has not had the impact that Microsoft had been hoping for.