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Well, it's official. We've been speculating for some time that Xbox might decide to delay Fable to early 2027 because of GTA 6's launch in November, and that's basically what's been confirmed in a new statement today.
The statement mentions GTA 6 as one of a few games that Xbox is trying to avoid with Fable, with the new February 2027 release window being targeted as a way to give the game "the dedicated moment it deserves".
Here's the confirmation in full:
"This is year is packed with incredible games for XBOX players to enjoy, from Halo: Campaign Evolved, Gears of War: E-Day and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 to Control Resonant, Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Grand Theft Auto VI. In order to plan our game launches through the holidays, in a way that works best for players, we’re moving Fable to February 2027 so it can have the dedicated moment it deserves. We’re excited to be giving players a major new look at Fable, as well as our broader lineup, at XBOX Games Showcase on June 7."
With the greatest of respect to the likes of Control Resonant and Star Wars: Galactic Racer, we highly doubt either of those would have prevented a Fable release in a typical year, but it makes sense to get out the way of GTA 6 — a title that is surely going to be the biggest video game of all time.
And of course, we already know that Halo: Campaign Evolved, Gears of War: E-Day and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 are still in the works for 2026 from Xbox. If we're assuming July, September and October months for those (Oct is already confirmed for MW4), there's not really a suitable place for Fable to slot into this year.
Yes, the delay is a shame, but it does mean that Playground Games will have more time to polish Fable into an outstanding experience ahead of its release in February 2027. Let's hope it's outstanding, anyway!