This evening’s Xbox Games Showcase (June 11) flaunted Fable’s comical world for fans, featuring Richard Ayoade as one of the disgruntled denizens dealing with bothersome heroes.

Of course, we had an inkling the RPG would be appearing in the presentation, based on a sparkly social media post from the official Xbox social media channels. And if there’s one thing that Fable is fondly remembered for, it is its wry sense of humour about the Hollywood solemnity of other fantasy fiction.

Richard Ayoade, who you’ll recognise from The IT Crowd, set the scene for the narrative of the new Fable, starring as Dave the vegetable enthusiast. He decried heroes as “wafters,” disruptive hedonists and treading the same ground as every main character before them.

[embedded content]

It’s ideal timing, too. Xbox Game Studios recently placed pressure on Playground Games to show off Fable, however the team gave their publisher the thumbs down.

Given the reception to Redfall, another Xbox exclusive in the hands of a highly capable team that ended up transforming enormously by the time it hit the shelves earlier this year, that was a very smart move. The first we saw of Fable was a cinematic trailer in 2020 which, while effective at stirring up those rosy memories of the series, offered fans very little on what the game would look like.

The tone, though, is spot on. Late last year, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty affirmed that Playground Games “gets it,” in spite of its pedigree. “Let’s be honest, giving Fable to the racing team could be a little bit of a head-scratcher, but they have proven that they get it, and I’m excited for when the time comes to be able to show more.”

Fable is landing on Xbox Game Pass on day one, though that is to be expected.