Fable II has done it post-release and now its revised successor Fable III is to do it again. Why of course, we’re talking about the downloadable, episodic way of delivering game content to consumers that was first introduced in the franchise in September 2009 when the entire game of Fable II became available on Xbox Live, broken up into five episodes.

As was the case with its predecessor, the first episode of Fable III will be available for free, while the following episodes will ask you kindly for those precious Microsoft Points. Said Peter Molyneux at today’s GameHorizon conference:

“Soon after the retail launch we’re doing episodic. We break it down in chapters. We give away the first chapter entirely free, the first hour. When you reach a certain point in the game it says ‘thank you for playing the pilot of Fable 3, do you want to spend an extra 2-5 or whatever dollars to buy the next episode, or buy the whole lot?’ Press ‘yes’ and you will immediately continue playing.”

The Creative Director of Microsoft Game Studios, Europe, as he is known at Microsoft, also reiterated that he intends to reach a wider audience with the new installment and, consequently, disclosed his sales projections for the title:

“We are driving to sell more than five million units and to make a profit in excess of $150 million. We have to do that because if a franchise doesn’t reach that level it will inevitably wither.”

You heard the man! Add Fable III to your wishlists! Like… now!

Source: Gamesindustry.biz