It’s been nearly a decade since the last core Fable game, but the recent reports of Playground Games working on a new installment in the series have us dreaming of heading back to Albion. But what exactly do we want from a Fable game developed by the studio that delivers consistently great Forza Horizon games?

We gathered IGN’s resident Fable fanatics, as well as one special (that’s an understatement) guest to talk about what they want from the next Fable game.

Reboot

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I don't want Fable 4 because they've moved too far forward in the timeline for my liking. Plus, Playground deserves a fresh crack at the universe without any narrative baggage from Lionhead's trilogy. Thus, I'm hoping for a reboot. Call if "Fable" and let's start back at Fable 1 times and tell an all-new story in that era. It's got to have a dog, though; that was the single biggest reason (of several) why I believe Fable 2 is the best in the series. Offer different breeds, as Fable 3 did (Boxers FTW!). Good and evil is a key pillar that must not be forgotten; I should be able to play as evil as I desire and have the people of Albion respond to me accordingly. And for the love of all things holy, don't shoehorn any multiplayer into this. Keep a laser-focus on making an incredible single-player action-adventure-RPG...though I would be totally OK with co-op. -- Ryan McCaffrey, Executive Editor

Rework the Combat

Fable: The Lost Chapters is by far my favourite of the Fable games, and that’s in large part because of the combat. I want Fable 4 to rework the series’ combat, to be more challenging, have focus on combining spell types (maybe like Divinity Original Sin), and require a bit more thought than it required in 2 and 3. Kingdoms of Amalur always felt like ‘Fable 2’ in terms of combat to me, so I’d love to see it mimic that closely. -- Alanah Pearce, Producer

Peter Molyneux's Pitch

Fable story hinted at a dramatic time before Fable 1 when the Guild was founded, this would be a perfect setting for Fable 4, the land of Albion would be much more primitive, the magic much more attuned to nature, the combat much more brutal. The story would follow the founding members of the heroes guild, why it was set up.

“ I would love to see brutal, visceral and fluid combat system that left permanent scars.

A whole new creature Bestiary of opponents to fight with hordes of small creatures, to god sized giants and of corse DRAGONS (rideable). Allowing a player to morph their own alignment, based on their actions, so you would become a Thief if you sneak and steal or a knight if you adhere to a code of honour etc. Having you own loyal horse which you train and bond with. Having your own home which you build from scratch up to an abode fit for a hero.

Marriage yes, Co-op yes, Town, cities and villages yes, Commerce yes, open world yes, first person option yes. I could go on forever about the beloved world of Fable. -- Peter Molyneux, Fable Creator

Follow Lionhead's Lead

There's a very simple solution here - do what Lionhead wanted to do in the first place. The series creators had already pitched Fable 4 to Microsoft, but it was rejected in favour of games-as-service projects - which would get the entire place shut down when Fable Legends didn't work out.

If Microsoft's gone back on its thinking with Fable, then it could do much worse than looking to what it already has. A Fable that continues the story by turning ever-growing city, Bowerstone into a Victorian steampunk metropolis, complete with a Jack the Ripper mystery and antique flying machines sounds just about perfect to me. If Playground wanted to be really cool guys, they could try to bring back the guys who actually had the idea in the first place too... -- Joe Skrebels, UK News Editor

Pull From Modern Classics

I’d love this 4th proper entry into the Fable universe to wipe the slate clean. Bring us back to a pre-Fable 1 Albion. A world still finding its voice, still in search of its mythical identity. Put us in the shoes of a wayward traveler who experiences things for the first time alongside the player.

“ This will be the first core Fable in a post-Skyrim, Witcher III, and Souls world, so the stakes are going to be high.

Family, Systems, and Choices

Finally, I want there to be a sense of scope, grandeur, and awe as we explore Albion. Think of leaving the Great Plateau for the first time in Breath of the Wild. Or stumbling upon a Thunderjaw in Horizon. Or riding up to that first Colossus in Shadow. Fable has always been about adventure, and I’d love to see it crammed with these kinds of unforgettable moments.Oh, and dogs. Lots of dogs.

It’s been well over a decade since we played the first Fable, and I’d like to see the series return to it’s roots in storytelling, and draw inspiration from contemporary games for it’s mechanics.

A Canonical Sequel

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For me, Fable has always been about family. A grand hero’s journey that chronicles growing up, being cast out, fighting for glory, and ultimately reclaiming and understanding your heritage, with plenty of quirky British humor, colorful characters, and exciting twists at every turn. I hope Playground Games leans in to that.As far as systems go, I want more dramatic choices between magic and melee with varied abilities that make each feel special. Draw inspiration from Fallout 4 and Skyrim for property and town management, Breath of the Wild for emergent combat, and The Witcher for lush worlds for questing.Though, the most important thing I want from a new Fable is to find a way to create those water-cooler conversations between players who make different moral choices, and find interesting ways to reward people who choose a path that balances good and evil in world that reflects my choices back at me.

I’d love to see a canonical sequel (pre-sequel?) that takes place between Fable 1 and 2. There’s a 500 years discrepancy between these two games and that means there’s a ton of lore and adventures we haven’t seen or heard yet. Fable 3 also brought on and age of little to no heroes. Our characters felt like a shell of our awesome predecessors. This made the world feel less magical overall. I want to see the return of a proper Hero’s Guild and a world filled with heroes. The industrial revolution in Albion was cool aesthetically, but nothing beats that medieval fantasy feel we came to love in the Fable franchise. -- Brian Malkiewicz, Producer

Pull From Breath of the Wild

For me, Fable was Microsoft's Zelda. With that in mind, I'd love for Breath of the Wild to influence the next Fable. One thing Fable (Fable 3, especially) got right is its weird mix of fantasy and technology: Dense forests and ancient ruins are juxtaposed with bustling, dirty industrial towns; there are both swords and guns. I want to explore this world, and previous Fable games didn't quite get this right, with big areas that allowed for limited exploration along thin paths. I want those walls, invisible and visible, broken down. Like Breath of the Wild, Fable should let me climb everything and go anywhere -- at my own risk. I'm excited to play open world games in the wake of Breath of the Wild's game-changing freedom, and Fable could be just that. -- Sam Claiborn, Managing Editor

So, what do you want in a new Fable game? Canonical sequel? Hard reboot? Straight-up dog simulator? Let us know!