Peter Molyneux, the fabled lead designer of the role-playing video game franchise Fable, finds himself playing an uncomfortable role: anxious parent.
His latest creation, Fable III — a fantasy adventure in which you wield swords and sorcery to become a king or queen — faces some legendary competition on its release [Tuesday] ($60, for the Xbox 360, rated M for ages 17-up). “I am very, very, very nervous and worried because it is an incredibly busy time,” Molyneux says.
Recent big-name releases such as Halo: Reach, Medal of Honor and Fallout: New Vegas already command shelf space. Two more hugely awaited releases are out today: Rock Band 3 and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. On the way: an expected blockbuster in Call of Duty: Black Ops on Nov. 9 and Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood on Nov. 16.
“And we have Kinect (Microsoft’s Xbox 360 hands-free controller add-on, out Nov. 4) as well,” Molyneux says. “I worry about my baby Fable in that crowd. You know, it is like sending a kid out to a school where the classroom is really crowded.”
So far, the Fables have held their own. The first two games, released in 2004 and 2008, have sold more than 6 million copies worldwide. For this latest entry, Molyneux and his London-based Lionhead Studios embrace the evolving social gaming landscape.
More than two months ago, those who pre-ordered the game could go online to create a customized character that would — having been transferred into their copy of Fable III via Xbox Live — make an appearance as they played. Earlier this month in Europe, Lionhead and Microsoft released a free smartphone game called Fable III: Kingmaker. Similar to location-based social networking site Foursquare, Kingmaker lets players choose a side in the war within Fable III — either rebel or loyalist. As more…