Fable Devs Say Modern Games Are Too "Risk Averse"
Peter Molyneux and other key figures behind the Fable series discuss how game development has changed since the 2000s, with some feeling that the industry has become too "risk averse". Molyneux in particular says that he fears Fable 2's changes from the first game wouldn't have been possible today, feeling that there's now more pressure to stick with formulas that have been proven to work.
This comes as part of TheGamer's deep dive into the development of the Fable series. The second part is available to read now, detailing the development of Fable 2 for the Xbox 360. Here, Lionhead staff discuss how they intentionally changed so much from the first game, as many felt there was a "shame" in "selling out" with a sequel.
Related: Fable Needs To Be British In The Right Way
“This sounds absolutely crazy in today's world, [but] there was a shame in doing sequels,” says Peter Molyneux, co-founder of Fable developer, Lionhead. "So, when we started thinking about the sequel, we were thinking about how we can't just do more weapons, a bigger landscape.”
This manifested in Fable 2's darker tone, particularly the location of Wrathmarsh, which was once the idyllic town of Oakvale from the first game.
"We were a bit fearless when it came to stuff like that," says Molyneux. "You wouldn't ever do it now because you’d probably get [negative] test feedback on it. It was a big risk. I think people tend to be a little bit more risk averse these days."
Another way the team kept the series fresh was by introducing a huge time skip. Interestingly, creative director Dene Carter tells me these were actually inspired by the British comedy series, Blackadder. Carter also says that the devs didn't want Fable 2 to just be "bigger, better, more",
Read more on thegamer.com
