Fable 3 stands out as the most polarizing entry in Lionhead Studio’s series of bold fairytales. Its acclaimed director, Peter Molyneux, attributes many of its shortcomings to one key factor: insufficient development time. The beloved Fable 2 was released at the end of 2008, and just two years later, Fable 3 made its debut in stores. Although the sequel built upon the foundation established by its predecessor, the new ambitious elements—such as positioning the player on the throne to make significant, world-changing decisions—lacked the necessary time to fully develop. “The original vision was: ‘You’ve been a hero – now you can be king, with all the moral implications of being king!’ But that game, I think, would have taken three years to make, whereas Fable III took 18 months,” Molyneux shared in an interview with Edge Magazine’s 416 issue.
Peter Molyneux, now 66, admits he isn’t entirely satisfied with the outcome, stating that the upcoming title, Masters of Albion, might be his swan song, as he feels he lacks the energy to undertake another complex project. He recalls the excitement of selling his first game, to the extent of creating a hole in his mailbox for delivering orders, which ultimately led to just two sales—one likely from his mother.
Reflecting on his experiences, Molyneux expressed, “I should have fought for more time. I think if I hadn’t left, I would have insisted, ‘I’m sorry, the game’s not going to be ready!’ It’s caused me unbelievable angst over the years. I shouldn’t have left when I did, really. I should have done more to help Fable 3 through.” He further recounted that after notifying Microsoft of his departure from the renowned studio, their initial response was, “You’re leaving, so we’ll close the studio!” Fortunately, the closure was postponed when Molyneux managed to persuade the publisher that Lionhead could still generate revenue without him.
“I’d done quite a lot of work ensuring that the team I left behind was capable and managing the company effectively,” he explained. “They had a design for Fable 4 ready, which the team had considered, alongside another project I had envisioned, called All Of Us. It was indeed ambitious—a blend of a world-building game, an RPG, and what we’d now classify as a battle royale. Players could enter a dungeon and interact with elements like pulling down stalactites while playing. It had a lot of potential, but I believe it required a visionary to push it to completion.”