'I've Never Seen It in Games Before' — Fable Will Use a Storytelling Technique Borrowed From The Office

Remember those mockumentary-style interrogation sections successful the archetypal uncover trailer for Fable? Well, those volition really beryllium successful the game, and they’re inspired by an improbable root — The Office.

Fable is simply a distinctly British video crippled series, and 1 wherever drama has ever been allowed to thrive. Both deadpan and absurdist British wit were astatine the centre of Lionhead’s archetypal trilogy, and it's large to spot that ethos carrying guardant into Playground Games’ 2026 reboot, which we precocious got an extended look astatine during January’s Xbox Developer Direct.

Speaking to Xbox Wire, Playground laminitis and wide manager Ralph Fulton mentioned a fistful of classical 21st-century British sitcoms arsenic touchstones for Fable’s tone. “We were inspired by the incredibly affluent assortment of British comedies that person been astir implicit the past 20 years, similar Peep Show, The IT Crowd and truthful galore others," Fulton revealed. “We started with The Office, which again started retired arsenic quintessentially British, but besides travels really, truly well.”

“Not conscionable that IP, but a batch of the techniques and the devices that it’s popularised, you know. It’s that truly grounded, awkward benignant of humour which truly appeals to us. And the actors who person been successful a batch of these shows — and so immoderate of whom are successful our crippled — they’re known each implicit the world.”

It isn’t conscionable the benignant of wit from these comedies that Playground is taking inspiration from, but filmmaking techniques, too. “The different chill happening astir The Office is thing we’ve benignant of nicked," Fulton revealed. “You’ve possibly seen successful our trailers that we person a benignant of mockumentary interrogation style. I deliberation a batch of radical presume we conscionable did that for those trailers, but it’s really a instrumentality we usage passim the game.”

“I’ve ne'er seen it successful games before," Fulton continued. "But it allows you a mode to truly neatly archer a gag oregon driblet a small spot of quality item successful a mode that would consciousness truly clunky successful a dialogue, but abruptly feels wholly earthy erstwhile you bash it to ‘camera’.”

This tin beryllium seen successful the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase trailer for Fable, above, successful which Peep Show’s Matt King speaks to america consecutive down the lens arsenic Humphrey the Golden, Guildmaster of Albion. It’s a sitcom method pioneered by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant successful the archetypal BBC mentation of The Office, before, obviously, making its mode overseas for the likes of Pam and Jim to instrumentality afloat vantage of with their knowing looks to camera successful its U.S. edition. This mockumentary-style has spawned dozens of akin TV shows since, but, arsenic Fulton said, it's thing we’ve ne'er truly seen successful a crippled before, which makes for an intriguing proposition.

You tin cheque retired our ain large interrogation with Ralph Fulton astir Fable here, arsenic good arsenic learning astir however you tin wed each and each 1 of its 1,000 NPCs.

Simon Cardy is simply a Senior Editor astatine IGN who tin chiefly beryllium recovered skulking astir unfastened satellite games, indulging successful Korean cinema, oregon despairing astatine the authorities of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him connected Bluesky astatine @cardy.bsky.social.