March last year marked the end of Lionhead Studio, creator of the Fable franchise. The closure meant that any games the studio might be working on such as Fable Legends was immediately canceled. Whether the franchise would ever see another title seemed unlikely at that point.

Peter Molyneux, the founder of Lionhead, started the company in 1996. In 2006 the studio was acquired by Microsoft and 6 years later the founder left the studio and Microsoft. With such a long history, it was sad to see the studio go, but a digital card game called Fable Fortune was released in July that may indicate that Microsoft hasn’t deemed the Fable franchise dead.

As if to reinforce this, Xbox Publishing General Manager, Shannon Loftis, spoke up about the Fable franchise in a recent interview. At PAX Australia, she noted that Microsoft loves the franchise and that her whole reason for moving to England was to lead production on Fable II. Here are Loftis’ thoughts on the future of the Fable franchise:

Fable is very near and dear to my heart. Actually one of the primary reasons [I moved to England] was to work with the team on Fable II. Fable Fortune is now out, the card game. We love the IP. I can’t talk right now about whether we’re doing anything with it or not, but if I ever get the chance to go back to Albion… “

Loftis’ position with Xbox would make her an important part in reviving Fable. Currently, it is unclear if anything has been brought to the table, and according to Loftis, the company receives 350-400 game pitches a year. It is very possible, given the popularity of Fable and her reluctance to say much more about it, that another Fable title is at least in consideration if not already having been pitched. Giving the franchise a bit more time to cool down may not be a bad thing and the company may be using Fortune as a test to see if a new game is viable.

As the way games are played and developed continues to evolve, there may yet be a place for another installment in the Fable franchise. Do you think Fable is dead, or does the current fanbase carry enough weight to justify a comeback? Join in on the conversation in the comment section below! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for live gaming and entertainment news 24/7!