Fable Gameplay Receives Criticism For Extremely Poor Facial Animation

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Audiences Comparing Facial Animation To Assassin's Creed RPGs!

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  • Xbox has shared a 30-minute gameplay demo for Fable today.
  • The game’s facial animation and lip sync from the demo have been criticized by audiences.
  • Many have compared the facial animation to Assassin’s Creed and asked Playground Games to improve this part of the RPG.

Xbox just wrapped up its showcase for 2026 a few days ago, sharing updates on a number of major upcoming releases. Among the games highlighted at the showcase, Fable has now received additional gameplay following a delay to 2027.

The latest demo for the game showcases 30 minutes of gameplay from the RPG. Although many have praised the game following this footage, Fable has garnered criticism for its disappointing facial animations.

Why it matters: As Xbox continues to reevaluate its business and returns to exclusivity, big first-party titles like Fable are crucial to the future of the brand. As such, the gaming giant must nail all elements of the experience.

Fable Facial Animation
Fable’s Facial Animations Have Led To Some Concerns | Image via Twitter

Xbox’s gameplay demo has led to audiences comparing Fable to Assassin’s Creed Shadows and other modern Ubisoft RPGs. For context, the latest Assassin’s Creed games are notorious for their poor facial animation and lip sync due to the lack of motion capture for many cutscenes.

In Fable’s case, NikTek has pointed out one instance of a conversation that shows poor lip syncing and lifeless animation for NPCs during a conversation. Many have also pointed out the odd camera angles during such scenes.

NPCs appear to be facing away from the camera due to the positioning, further lessening the impact of these moments. Some Twitter users, like The Hidden One, even believe that Fable’s facial animations look worse than Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ at the moment.

This looks worse than AC Shadows cutscenes, and that’s saying something.

-The Hidden One

Similar points have been brought up in the YouTube comments, with many hoping that Playground Games tweaks this part of the game ahead of launch.

It should be noted that the studio still has over half a year to work on Fable before the game launches worldwide.

The gameplay demo also prefaces that the footage shown is from a pre-release work-in-progress build. As such, things could certainly improve by the time the RPG launches in 2027.

What do you think about the new Fable footage? Let’s discuss in the comments and on the Tech4Gamers Forums.

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