Xbox 360 classic Fable 2 is beloved for its inclusion of its adorable canine companion, but it turns out that keeping the dog throughout development was actually a matter of contention for creator Peter Molyneux.
Speaking to EDGE Magazine #416, Molyneux explained that he was adamant that the addition of the dog would be “the most important feature in Fable 2” as other developers were quickly creating new weapons and enemies to fight.
“That is just not enough,” he recalled saying. “There needs to be something about Fable II which is really unique! And that’s where the idea of the dog came in.” Unfortunately, the earlier versions of the dog were so poorly made that everyone on the team hated it.
“The initial implementation was absolutely shit” Molyneux admitted. “Of course everyone said, ‘Let’s just remove the dog.’ I was really persistent about it: No, the emotion that a player experiences – that unconditional love you have for a pet is gold”
It didn’t help that earlier versions of the Fable 2 dog simply wouldn’t shut up with Molyneux calling the helpful companion a “yappy little c**t”. After months of additional development to make the dog more of a help during gameplay—such as discovering hidden treasure—everyone jumped on board as well.
“The second one [iteration] was much more gameplay-focused – you know, the dog would attack and do power ups,” he continued. “In the third implementation, I think the dog really worked, especially at the ending of the game.”
In the end, Molyneux was right. While Fable 2 had a lot going for it, the inclusion of the dog was so good that players even fought to save them at the end of the game. The dog also returned in Fable 3, but rumours claim there won’t be a canine companion for the upcoming reboot of the game.
The next game in the series is currently in development at Forza Horizon studio Playground Games with a proposed release date of 2026. Few gameplay details have been revealed regarding the project.
