It was originally announced that both versions of Fable III would be launched on the same day, but Microsoft has stated that the PC version will be delayed to an unspecified date. Fable III marks a return to the PC platform for the series after Fable II released only on the Xbox 360.
"The console and PC versions are now on different schedules as we're focusing on building experiences optimized for each platform," a Microsoft representative said to IGN. "We aren't announcing a ship date for the PC SKU at this time, but expect news soon."
Microsoft did not go into any specifics about why a delay will occur, but Peter Molyneux recently called Fable 3's development "very, very tough."
"It's got more bugs, more active bugs, than any game that [Microsoft Game Studios] has ever had in its history,” Molyneux stated, when discussing the potential for Fable III, “and the team of over 100 people are working insanely long hours, and they're coming down."
A recent internal Microsoft document related that the Games for Windows brand was being neglected recently, prompting Microsoft to announce Fable III for the platform; it could be argued that the delay seems like a good sign that they intend to do the game right, rather than rush the product out at the expense of quality. Though the PC version is being delayed, the announced release date of October 26 still seems to be in place for the Xbox 360 version.
4 Comments
August 4, 2010
"Fable III marks the first time that the series has been brought to a system other than the Xbox 360"
Don't think that's quite right. The first Fable was available on PC, or I never would have played it. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/fablethelostchapters
August 4, 2010
Regardless what they say, I can't help but think that gamers will interpret this as a cash grab. Release it for Xbox 360, then buff it up, fix the issues, throw in some extras, better control scheme, etc., and release for PC hoping some people will pick it up twice.
Taking time to polish the game and ensure it is excellent before release is one thing. But if part of their goal is to appease the GFWL PC gaming audience, I think releasing the game later than console is a slap in the face.
Isn't developing for the PC and Xbox 360 supposed to be largely the same? I would think that the bugs they mention would apply to both versions. So either the Xbox crowd is going to get a crappy buggy version, or the PC gamers are getting lots of extras, or (most likely) it's posturing to release the console version first.
August 4, 2010
The basic architecture of Xbox 360 is very PC like, but any PC release is inherently going to have more compatibility issues (ie, hardware, driver, OS differences) to deal with because of the nature of the platform. So it is easier to simply get the Xbox 360 version out and then worry about a PC port, BUT that doesn't mean it isn't being used as an excuse.
August 5, 2010
This seems like it happens a lot. Makes me wonder if M$ would rather have larger sale records for the 360 instead of PC for bragging rights on the consoles to out compete PS3. I would have bought it for PC but if its on 360 first I will probably end up playing it for free.
@ReadNLearn
Exact same for me, I played it on PC too.