Microsoft announces Fable launch date, pre-order bonus

Eagerly awaited Xbox-exclusive title Fable will be arriving in the USA on September 14th, followed by a European launch in October - while a bonus "Making Of" DVD is to be handed out as an incentive to drive pre-orders in the US.

The exact European date for the game has yet to be finalised, according to Microsoft UK, as the timing will depend largely on the localisation process for the various EMEA markets. However, it should definitely appear during October.

Customers in the USA who pre-order the game will be handed a limited edition bonus disc, which will feature interviews with Simon Carter and Ian Lovett, co-founders of Fable developer Big Blue Box, and Peter Molyneux, CEO of Lionhead, which brought the developer under its wing as part of the Lionhead Satellites initiative.

The disc will also include demos of Xbox titles including Climax' forthcoming RPG Sudeki (which should be out in August, ahead of Fable), Rallisport Challenge 2 and Top Spin. Microsoft UK has confirmed that the bonus disc will be also made available to European consumers, but no details of the European offer have yet been announced.

Fable is the first game to be developed by Big Blue Box, and has been one of the most anticipated titles for the Xbox since it was unveiled by Peter Molyneux some years ago. The game combines role-playing and action elements, and allows the player to progress and customise their character as he ages, in accordance with how they act throughout the story.