Fable Trademark Renewed Ahead Of Xbox Series X First-Party Showcase

Ahead of its next Xbox Series X stream reportedly taking place later this month, it's been discovered that Microsoft has renewed its trademark for RPG series Fable with the "intent to use".

Trademark renewals aren't always indicators that a publisher intends to continue a series. In most cases it's simply just to retain the rights to the property in question. With an Intent to Use filing though, the requirements for the renewal change. Microsoft has to prove that it has the intention to use the mark in commerce within the next six months, or file for an extension.

Under the rules of the filing, Microsoft can request an extension up to five times, which means this latest filing could be stretched over the next three years. The filing was made on June 26 (spotted by IGN) and is still pending, but its timing could not be more coincidental with the next Xbox 20/20 stream just around the corner. Microsoft has confirmed that the event will showcase first-party exclusives for the Xbox Series X, with Halo Infinite headlining the show.

There have been rumors for a while that Microsoft is working on a Fable revival following the closure of Lionhead Studios. The prevailing theory is that Forza Horizon developer Playground Games is helming the project. A few days ago, a dormant Twitter account for Fable was uncovered, but Xbox's Aaron Greenberg downplayed its importance shortly afterwards.

The last mainline Fable game to release was Fable III on Xbox 360, followed by Fable: The Journey for Kinect and Fable Legends being cancelled after years in development. In GameSpot's Fable III review, critic Tom Mc Shea praised the sequel, saying, "While you shouldn't expect everything to run smoothly, it's a joy to be whisked away to Fable III's magical world."