Unconfirmed: Fable 2 Coming in October

Remember that sixth Fable 2 video diary we posted about yesterday? GameSpot seems to think that the scene of Peter Molyneux highlighting “October” on a notepad suggests that the game is scheduled for release that month.

As part of the sequence, the camera first focuses on Molyneux speaking on the phone at his desk while scribbling in a notebook. The clip then cuts to a close-up of Molyneux’s notebook (pictured), and among the near-illegible scrawl, the designer draws a box around the word “October.”

Naturally, October jives perfectly with Molyneux’s previous claims–in the fall, just as the leaves are turning due to a dip in the weather. However, several other indicators suggest the video isn’t merely a red herring. Namely, a cursory glance at Microsoft Game Studios’ holiday lineup reveals a gaping hole in the publisher’s October window. Running down the publisher’s other Xbox 360 exclusives, Silicon Knights’ Too Human hits in August, with Rare’s Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise planted in September. The publisher’s two other major exclusives–Epic Games’ Gears of War 2 and Rare’s Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts–are both expected to arrive in November.

Assuming Microsoft returns with last year’s strategy of releasing a top-tier Xbox 360 exclusive in every month of the vital holiday shopping season, October is the obvious window for when Fable 2 would surface. However, it should be noted that the game isn’t the only announced MGS title that has yet to be given a release window. Though it has been AWOL since 2006, Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake may be ready for prime time–an announcement that wouldn’t be unsuitable for this year’s E3 Media and Business Summit.

Given what Molyneux has previously stated about the game’s projected release date, they’re probably right… but I’d still file this one away as unconfirmed.