Craig Duncan, head of Xbox Game Studios just announced that the highly awaited Fable reboot has been delayed to 2026. Duncan explained that the game still needed some more time but would be worth the wait. But that’s the PR reason. It’s also very likely that Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) also affected the decision.
Keep in mind that we don’t even know the release date for GTA 6 outside of the 2025 release window that Rockstar has promised. So it seems like a lot of other developers are adjusting their release dates depending on when Rockstar plans to release GTA 6. And quite frankly, fair play to them. No one wants to be the next Horizon Zero Dawn.
GTA 6 may be the reason for the Fable delay
You know how some franchises in movies like Marvel, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings are just, a tier above everything else. Not just in terms of quality but in terms of popularity and fan following too. Well, we have that in the gaming world and the Grand Theft Auto is easily one of the franchises that makes the list.
Fable gameplay looks gorgeous.
Delay to 2026 feels disappointing but if done right, Fable could really be a consistent franchise for years to come, it’s so important this is a hit so we get Fable back as a franchise!pic.twitter.com/8oJ5W6lPhC
— Synth Potato🥔 (@SynthPotato) February 25, 2025
Rockstar’s series has become a cultural phenomenon over the years and GTA 6 is expected to be one of the biggest game releases of all time. The game hasn’t had a confirmed release period outside of the “2025” on the trailer. But we’ve seen reports that game publishers are already wary of launching their own titles too close to its debut. And Fable may have just joined that list.
Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan officially confirmed in a recent video that Fable is now targeting a 2026 release instead of 2025. As for why, he says that the delay is to ensure quality, stating, “It’s definitely worth the wait.” We know it’s nothing new for a game to take a few extra months to get fully polished and whatnot, but GTA 6 probably played a part in that decision.
It’s a smart move if you look at what’s happened before
It’s not even a bad thing to do if we’re being honest. The Fable reboot has been in development for years, and given its importance as a flagship Xbox franchise, Microsoft needs it to do well. So avoiding a Rockstar’s title might be one of the smartest decisions Xbox makes. Especially since Take-Two has reaffirmed a 2025 release window.
Take Two confirms that GTA 6 is still on track to release in Fall 2025. pic.twitter.com/iKSBKP4ere
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 6, 2025
If you think a move like this is overkill, then luckily for you, we already have plenty of examples to show you otherwise. The Horizon franchise is easily the best example. In 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn was first released, and yet, it probably didn’t get the attention that it deserved.
Why? Because it came out around the same time as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And once again in 2022 Horizon Forbidden West came out in the same timeframe as Elden Ring and got overshadowed. And if you’re a gamer, you know that Breath of The Wild and Elden Ring went on to be some of the best games of all time.
With the nature of the GTA franchise and the hype that’s been building up to the release of GTA 6, we can only expect Rockstar’s upcoming game to also join the history books. So it’s more than fair that other developers want to make way for it to not sabotage their own games.
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