Masters Of Albion Pulls From Fable And Molyneux’s Past

Fable sits at the center of Peter Molyneux’s long career, and I see its influence clearly in his next release. Masters of Albion arrives on April 22 for Windows PC via Steam, developed by 22cans, and it openly revisits ideas that defined his earlier work. The setting returns to Albion, a fantasy land shaped by player choice, reactive villagers, and loose, often chaotic systems. From the first footage, the connection is direct rather than symbolic.

Molyneux introduced the project alongside a release date trailer that leans heavily on familiar imagery. The world resembles the Fable version of Albion, with noisy towns, livestock wandering roads, and a tone that mixes humor with disorder. A giant spectral hand dominates gameplay, letting the player construct buildings, guide settlements, and interfere directly with the population. I see echoes of Black & White in how that hand manipulates the environment, while Dungeon Keeper surfaces at night when undead forces raid player-built towns.

The hand can also possess individual characters. Once controlled, those characters run errands, fight enemies, and move through the world much like Fable heroes. The structure blends god-game oversight with moment-to-moment character control, a hybrid Molyneux has attempted in different forms for decades.

Molyneux framed Masters of Albion as a personal milestone.

“This is the culmination of my life’s work.”— Peter Molyneux

That framing matters because his recent history is complicated. In 2013, 22cans released Godus, a spiritual successor to Populous. It entered early access and never fully emerged. The project drew controversy after failing to deliver on several public promises tied to a Kickstarter and a promotional experiment called Curiosity: What’s Inside the Cube?. According to Molyneux, Godus did not turn a profit, and its planned features never reached completion.

Masters of Albion reads as an attempt to consolidate rather than reinvent. It borrows mechanics, tone, and structure from Populous, Black & White, Dungeon Keeper, and Fable, then places them in a single framework. Whether it lands remains open, but the intent is visible and specific.

Fable itself is not standing still. A separate reboot, currently in development at Playground Games, is scheduled for 2026.

Read also, reports suggest the Fable reboot could slip again, with insiders pointing to a possible move into 2027 despite earlier commitments.