Is Masters of Albion a Fable game? Peter Molyneux claims "Albion can't be copyrighted" to dodge Microsoft legal complications, says it's in the same universe

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"It’s the name for England and Wales and that’s how we get away with it."

Masters of Albion
You'll need to defend your kingdom from various monsters and other threats at night in Masters of Albion. (Image credit: 22cans)

What you need to know

  • Following the announcement of his new game Masters of Albion during Gamescom 2024's Opening Night Live show, Peter Molyneux has been asked if it's a Fable game and if it's in the same universe.
  • In an interview that appeared in Video Games Chronicle, Molyneux asserted that Masters of Albion shares a universe with Fable, but isn't a Fable game.
  • Molyneux co-founded Fable's original developer Lionhead Studios, but left the studio in 2012 a few years before Microsoft shuttered it in 2016. Fable is still a Microsoft property, and a Fable reboot coming out in 2025 is in development at Playground Games. It will be a first-party Xbox and Windows PC exclusive.
  • Molyneux claims that because Albion is a historical term for Great Britain, it can't be copyrighted. However, he's ultimately unsure if that reasoning will hold up in a legal dispute.

One of the biggest surprises from the Gamescom 2024 Opening Night Live show was the reveal of Masters of Albion — a new "god game" in which you wield ancient powers from the skies to develop and protect a growing society in a fantasy world. It's coming from a team of ex-Fable developers led by Peter Molyneux, who co-founded Fable's original developer Lionhead Studios and served as the lead designer on its three mainline Fable RPG titles released prior to his departure in 2012 and Microsoft's subsequent closure of the studio in 2016. He went on to create 22cans, which is the developer that's now building Masters of Albion.

Masters of Albion looks to be an evolution of what Molyneux and Lionhead created with its popular Black & White god game series, though the fact it's set in the world of Albion has many raising eyebrows. Albion is the name of Fable's setting, after all, and Fable is still a Microsoft property; in fact, under the Xbox Game Studios banner, Playground Games is building a Fable reboot that's scheduled to launch in 2025 as an Xbox and PC exclusive. So is Masters of Albion a Fable game? And if so, how does the legality of that work?

These questions were posed to Molyneux in an interview that appeared in Video Games Chronicle, and his answers are pretty interesting. Ultimately, he argues that you can't copyright Albion because it's a widely acknowledged historical term for Great Britain. He also asserts that Masters of Albion is indeed set in Fable's "familiar, vast" world.

Masters of Albion Interview and Trailer with Peter Molyneux | GAMESCOM Opening Night Live 2024 - YouTube Masters of Albion Interview and Trailer with Peter Molyneux | GAMESCOM Opening Night Live 2024 - YouTube
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"[It’s] like saying if you set a game in America, you can’t set any other game in America,” he explained in the interview. “So Albion can’t be copyrighted. It’s the name for England and Wales and that’s how we get away with it."

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“Fable was set in Albion, Masters of Albion is set in Albion,” Molyneux continued, clarifying that his new game shares a setting with Fable.

This sounds like a fairly solid argument to me, though I'm obviously not a legal expert. Evidently, neither is Molyneux, made apparent by his admission that he's not sure if his logic would actually hold up in a courtroom. 

"I don’t know if I’m honest, I don’t really know… I hope so," he said. "I mean you would think that the responsible person I should be, I would’ve spent the last six months in lawyers’ offices…"

In Masters of Albion's daytime hours, you'll set your people to work building new homes, facilities, and other structures. (Image credit: 22cans)

One thing that's clear, though, is that while 22cans says Masters of Albion is set in the same universe as Fable, it is in no way being considered a Fable game by the studio.

"It’s not actually Fable 5 or anything like that, but if you’ve played Fable, then definitely Masters of Albion will be familiar to you. One of the things that we have got and we absolutely wanted a nail was the humor," he noted. "I think in the Fable games, it’s not so much about telling jokes, it’s more about giving you, the player, the ability to do ridiculous and funny things. And we’ve got that in Masters of Albion in absolute spades. I think we’re really nailing that."

The trailer for Masters of Albion showed off how you can feed your peasants rat meat pie and equip them with swords made out of bread loaves, so I don't doubt Molyneux on that front. Still, with the upcoming Fable reboot positioned as one of Microsoft's biggest and most important Xbox exclusives (and one of the biggest new games headed to Xbox Game Pass), I'm curious to see if the company will challenge 22cans' use of Albion. Only time will tell.

As for Masters of Albion's release date, it's unclear right now, though it is available to wishlist on Steam. Whether it's coming to Xbox, PlayStation, and other platforms as well as Windows PC is also unknown at the moment, though Molyneux's mention that he needed to "come home to PC and console" when introducing the game suggests there's a good chance it is.

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Brendan Lowry
Brendan Lowry

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. He's been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you'll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he's not writing or gaming, there's a good chance he's either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once. Follow him on X (Twitter).

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • fjtorres5591
    Jeeze.
    You'd think people who make a living off intelectual property would be educated in the legalities of IP.

    Mr Molyneaux is correct that the word Albion cannot be copyrighted.
    But it's use in specific markets *can* be trademarked as long as it is being commercially exploited in that particular market. For the very reason that he is talking about: consumer confusion.

    So, is his use of Albion legal?

    First, did Microsoft trademark the *use* of Albion for interactive video games? Unclear but it is likely. Also unclear is whether a country nickname can be trademarked. And trademarks can vary by country. It might be valid in some and not in others. As an example some products sell under different names in different countries because the name is ttademarked in some countries and not otgers.

    Second, is the use of Albion in marketing an interactive video game likely to imply a connection? Well, they are asking if his game is a Fable-derived game. And his answer that it shares the same universe was unwise. The likelihood of consumer confusion is staring us right in the op and his reply acknowledgement.

    Third, if Microsoft holds a trademark for Albion in video games (see above) are they exercising that mark? They're still selling the old FABLE games and have broadly advertised the remake. So if they trademarked it, the trademark is still valid.

    Finally, the nature of trademarks is that they are only valid as long as defended. If it exists, the cease and disease *must* be sent or MS will lose the use of it in Fable.

    Bottom line, Molyneaux should know by now if MS did trademark Albion in video games. It is required homework that he needed to do before naming the game publicly. His answer about not knowing if it will stand legal scrutiny suggests he didn't do it.

    Either ignorant or lazy.
    Reply