Microsoft's upcoming Fable reboot will once again allow you to hook up with villagers — just don't expect romance cutscenes similar to Baldur's Gate 3.

Past Fable games let you woo and bed pretty much anyone from the world of Albion, provide them with gifts, and even offer marriage if you so chose. Actual sex was kept offscreen, however, as the game faded to black rather than show anything naughty — something it seems the reboot will also follow.

A new ESRB age rating for Fable describes how players can "flirt and engage in sexual relations with villagers — though sexual acts are not depicted." Still, fans of some saucy British dialogue will likely be delighted in some of the compliments players can get for their ploughing prowess.

Examples that have been handily highlighted by the ESRB include: "I love... a good shag", "I'm aching in all the good ways", "You're a filthy one, and I love it" and "That hand print looked lovely on your arse." Blimey.

Earlier this year, IGN spoke with Fable developer Playground Games about its bid to bring back the beloved British role-playing series, and we learned that not only are there 1,000 fully voiced NPCs, but you can marry every single one of them.

This week, Fable impressed fans during Microsoft's Xbox Showcase 2026 livestream, via a trailer which revealed Marvel star Hayley Atwell will play the game's villain and the return of fan-favorite foe Jack of Blades. We also got a first word on its initial expansion, Fable: Order of the Hero, and learned the game's new release date following its delay to next year: February 23, 2027.

For more, keep an eye out later today as additional Fable gameplay footage is revealed, and be sure to check out IGN's roundup of everything announced at Xbox Showcase 2026.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Games Workshop has issued an official response denying the use of AI after fans spotted a Space Marine with an extra finger in official art for the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy tabletop game.

The artwork, below, published on the Warhammer Community website, depicts units of Space Marines clad in MkIV 'Maximus' armor. If you look closely at the Space Marine at the forefront of the image, you'll see five fingers including the trigger finger facing the viewer, which means a sixth finger, his thumb, must be behind the weapon.

This kicked up a huge stink within the Warhammer 40,000 and Horus Heresy fandom, which is on the whole anti-AI, particularly when it comes to art. The Warhammer 40,000 setting is in many ways built upon the evocative and enduring art drawn by the likes of the late, great John Blanche, who shaped its "grimdark" aesthetic alongside other key Games Workshop staff. This official, human-made Warhammer 40,000 artwork is beloved by fans, most of whom take a dim view of the mere whiff of generative AI “art” sold or released in any official capacity by either Games Workshop itself, or its partners.

Indeed, Games Workshop sells expensive Warhammer 40,000 ‘codex’ rulebooks that are packed with stunning official art as well as lore. Any suggestion that this art was created either in part or entirely by generative AI tools would cause a community uproar — and that’s exactly what we saw with this Horus Heresy artwork.

Now, Games Workshop has issued an official response, denying the use of AI. In a statement published on Facebook, the UK company acknowledged the existence of an extra finger on the Space Marine, but said it came as the result of an artist “blending miniature photography with art to create a dramatic scene.” And somewhere along the way, this process added the extra finger.

Here’s the official statement in full:

“Does that Space Marine have an extra finger? Yes, but it’s not AI or early signs of mutation among the Traitor Legions! The Horus Heresy art style, since its first edition in 2012, involves an artist blending miniature photography with art to create a dramatic scene. In this case, adding a little unexpected drama. So please, go easy on our artists. They are only (and completely) human.”

The statement was met with a mix of comments giving Games Workshop the benefit of the doubt, comments expressing a healthy dose of scepticism, and jokes.

“Don't believe for a second that an actual professional artist worked on this and didn't realise they'd drawn six fingers,” said one person. “Especially considering this is clearly originally based on specific models from the box set. This just looks like you've posed some minis, taken a photo, and got AI to turn it into a dramatic scene. Only AI would accidentally generate a sixth finger. A human wouldn't do that. Lazy. Pay your artists. And don't lie.”

“I honestly didn’t think much of it, go through the old 40k codexes and you’ll see the same thing and other funny things like double base rims or elongated bolters,” one person countered.

“Its fine they have two hearts and a finger in reserve,” joked another.

It’s worth noting that Games Workshop has gone on the record with an anti-AI stance. In January, it banned the use of AI in its content production and its design process, insisting that none of its senior managers were currently excited about the technology.

CEO Kevin Rountree addressed the issue of AI and how Games Workshop was handling it, saying staff were barred from using it to actually produce anything, but admitting a “few” senior managers were experimenting with it.

"We do have a few senior managers that are [experts on AI]: none are that excited about it yet,” Rountree said at the time. “We have agreed an internal policy to guide us all, which is currently very cautious e.g. we do not allow AI generated content or AI to be used in our design processes or its unauthorised use outside of GW including in any of our competitions. We also have to monitor and protect ourselves from a data compliance, security and governance perspective, the AI or machine learning engines seem to be automatically included on our phones or laptops whether we like it or not.

“We are allowing those few senior managers to continue to be inquisitive about the technology. We have also agreed we will be maintaining a strong commitment to protect our intellectual property and respect our human creators. In the period reported, we continued to invest in our Warhammer Studio — hiring more creatives in multiple disciplines from concepting and art to writing and sculpting. Talented and passionate individuals that make Warhammer the rich, evocative IP that our hobbyists and we all love.”

These sorts of issues — where fans either spot genuine use of generative AI in official artwork for a product or they suspect it has been used — are cropping up more often across the entertainment industries, as company staff are put under pressure to use AI tools to ramp up productivity. And while Games Workshop’s official anti-AI stance is in contrast to that of many other entertainment firms across the likes of video games, movies and television, it is perhaps under more scrutiny than most, given its reputation for stunning, human-created artwork, and the setting itself, which has plenty to say about the dangers of AI.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

A launch date for Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave has finally been revealed – and so has its USD $80 price tag.

Tactical RPG fans were met with a disappointing reality when they hopped online in the hours following today's June 2026 Nintendo Direct. While pricing information for many of the games Nintendo showcased is yet to be revealed, its new Fire Emblem game was confirmed to cost USD $79.99 for those who want to buy it physically. The physical version of Fortune's Weave will be CAD $109.99 in Canada and AUD $119.95 in Australia.

To be clear, this isn't some special edition that comes with bonus goodies for those willing to fork over the $10 increase from the $69.99 price point many similarly sized games stick with. This is for the standard physical version of the game. In the US the digital version will be available for $69.99. In the UK the price of the digital version will be £58.99.

It might come as a shock to Nintendo Switch 2 owners expecting to see Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave available to purchase for $69.99 following its reveal, but it's a move that Nintendo confirmed was in the works earlier this year. In March, the company announced it would soon charge different amounts for digital games versus their physical counterparts. Its example at the time was the recently released Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, which came out to $59.99 for its digital price and $69.99 for the physical version.

Nintendo clarified its stance to IGN at the time, saying that "the cost of physical games is not going up."

"This means that when Nintendo sells digital versions of Nintendo published games exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 to consumers in the US, those prices will have an MSRP that is lower than their physical counterparts," it said. "Retail partners set their own prices for physical and digital games, and pricing for each title may vary."

Nintendo's reasoning suggests it believes the physical version of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is worth its $80 price tag. It's the early days of the company's new pricing strategy, so it's hard to tell which games will be more expensive than players may be used to. That means confusion amongst fans is likely, with even some analysts telling IGN that they weren't sure what to make of the original announcement.

Confirmation for the cost of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave also makes it the second $80 Switch 2 game. The first was its exclusive multiplayer title, Mario Kart World, which launched with the system last June.

Other games featured in today's presentation that have yet to receive pricing information include The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, The Duskbloods, and Xenoblade Genesis. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, meanwhile, will launch for Switch 2 on September 17, 2026.

For all of the biggest announcements, you can see everything announced at the June 2026 Nintendo Direct here.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).