Microsoft has delayed Fable from its 2025 release window to some point in 2026, while also providing a first look at brand new gameplay.

Fable is the upcoming reboot of the Xbox franchise made famous by the now defunct Lionhead Studios. It’s in the works at UK studio Playground, which is known for the much-loved Forza Horizon series of driving games.

In the latest episode of the Xbox Podcast, Craig Duncan (formerly Rare studio head who took over as head of Xbox Game Studios last fall) moved to reassure fans that this new Fable game is “definitely worth the wait.”

“I just want to start with, really excited about progress,” Duncan began. “Really excited about where Playground are. We previously announced the date for Fable as 2025. We are actually going to give Fable more time, and it’s going to ship in 2026 now.

“While I know that’s not maybe the news people want to hear, what I want to assure people of is that it’s definitely worth the wait. I have unequivocal confidence in the Playground team. If you think about their history and legacy for Forza Horizon, the last few games, critically acclaimed, 92 Metacritic, award-winning, beautiful, play great.

“And just what they’re bringing to Fable as a franchise, just think of the visuals of what you expect of Playground games plus amazing gameplay, British humor, Playground’s version of Albion. So inspired by what’s gone before with the franchise but their take, in quite frankly the most beautifully realized version of Albion you’ve ever seen.

“So really excited about the plans, and really excited about the future. I want the community to understand that we do these things for the best of the games and the teams, and ultimately that results in the best game for the community.”

In the same breath as announcing the delay, Microsoft revealed 50 seconds of brand new pre-alpha gameplay showing Fable combat, some city walking scenes, a clip of the main character riding a horse through a fantasy-styled forest area, and of course, kicking a chicken. The admittedly brief gameplay gives us a decent idea of what Playground is going for here, as well as the visual fidelity Duncan mentioned on the podcast.

We see combat with a one-handed sword, a two-handed hammer, a two-handed sword, and what looks like a fireball magic attack. One cutscene shows a man laying some sausages inside a trap. It emerges this is to entice a werewolf-type creature, who the main character subsequently fights.

Playground’s revival of the fantasy role-playing game series was announced in 2020 as a “new beginning.” 2023’s Xbox Game Showcase then gave us a better idea of what to expect with a reveal courtesy of The IT Crowd’s Richard Ayoade. Then, last year, Microsoft showed its Fable reboot once more, this time with a new trailer during its Xbox Showcase event in June 2024.

This reboot is the first mainline Fable game since 2010’s Fable 3 and one of Xbox Game Studios’ biggest upcoming titles.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.