Microsoft Renews Fable Trademark Amid Sequel Rumours

Microsoft has applied to renew its Fable trademark as rumours of a sequel to Lionhead's RPG franchise continue to swirl. You can check out the trademark application here, which was filed on June 26. It's standard practice for businesses to renew trademarks for IPs that they own, but within the current context, it's an interesting move – especially when you notice the Intent to Use tag, which is marked as 'Yes', despite the Current Use tag being marked as 'No', suggesting that Microsoft has future plans for the franchise. The Fable rumour mill has been spinning for years at this point, and there's plenty of information to dig in to. Earlier this week, Microsoft downplayed the significance of a placeholder Fable Twitter account, despite it seemingly having been registered in March of this year by a user with a Microsoft email address. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/01/22/fable-creator-peter-molyneux-on-what-he-wants-from-a-new-fable-game"] Back in November 2017, we reported that Playground Games was hiring talent for a new game, listed as an "open world action-RPG." In fact, the developer opened an entirely new studio earlier that year to create Project 2, a game that will not feature any racing, distancing it from the Forza series the developer is known for. Then, in 2018, Playground Games Creative Director Ralph Fulton told Daily Star Online that the Xbox One X will be the "lead platform" for the studio's next game, just days after a Eurogamer report surfaced, suggesting that a new Fable game was in development at Playground. If you're interested in what Fable creator Peter Molyneux is looking for in a new entry from the franchise, check out our interview from early 2018. Phew, OK, we're all caught up on the rumours. All eyes are now on Microsoft's July first-party event for Xbox Series X - so watch this space for more Fable news, we'll be sure to keep you posted. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN who wants to see proper morphing Hero Weapons. Follow him on Twitter.