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Development of Playground Games’ new Fable has taken longer partly because Microsoft prefers its own tools over industry standards, Windows Central journalist Jez Corden wrote on December 9.
Uncertainty became the defining feature of Xbox in 2022, he argued in a review of the console brand’s successes and failures. According to Corden, fans had spent nearly a decade waiting for first-party exclusives worthy of Game of the Year recognition, and it was difficult to understand what was holding Microsoft’s internal and external developers back.
Some studio employees blamed Microsoft’s internal contracting rules, which can result in key staff leaving projects mid-development, the journalist claimed.
“I've been told internal politics over engine use has also led to developmental problems in games like Fable and Halo Infinite, as Microsoft sought to use its own tools rather than fully-featured industry standards like Unreal Engine, which further exacerbates problems around training contractors, only to lose them mid-project,” Corden wrote.
He noted that Microsoft’s competitors Sony and Nintendo had managed to release a number of strong games after the pandemic, while Xbox fans were beginning to lose patience with the slow pace of major releases.
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