We don't know exactly when Fable will be released, but last week's Xbox Developer Direct confirmed that it will be sometime this fall. But, another somewhat popular game called Grand Theft Auto VI is also coming out this fall, on November 19, and you'd think they'd want to avoid being too close to that release date since pretty much everyone (plus their family and friends) is expected to buy it, which means less money and time for other projects.
However, British developer Playground Games is not overly concerned about this. In an interview with GamesRadar, studio head Craig Duncan states that there are always factors to consider and that he simply wants to deliver the best possible title with Fable:
"I mean, it's more that they're going to do what they're going to do. My job is to do what we should do for the best of our games. So yeah, we don't... there's always other games, and there's always other things we have to consider."
He is not entirely indifferent though, and admits that it would be ideal if Microsoft's many games (in addition to Fable, 2026 will see the release of Forza Horizon 5, Gears of War: E-Day, and Halo: Campaign Evolved, among others) and those of its competitors could be given a little time to breathe:
"I think that we ideally want to space things out and make sure games have their own, as we like to call it, oxygen in those moments. It's just super busy. Our own release schedule is one thing, but then you have everyone else's release schedule at the same time."
What do you think, how close to Grand Theft Auto VI will Xbox Game Studios dare to place Fable, and how much will that affect sales?