Fable creator Peter Molyneux's new strategy game is set to fill the Black and White void, and you can play it surprisingly soon

There are several games that defined my childhood, most of which are high fantasy. There was, of course, Dragon Age: Origins, then its sequel and Inquisition after that, as well as Lionhead’s Fable, perhaps my favorite childhood RPG. But before all of that there was Black and White, a strategy series most wouldn’t associate with me, but one that I played the heck out of on my dusty old family PC. With Lionhead gone, it felt like the B&W days would be confined to history – at least the Fable 4 release date is set for this year, I suppose. But Masters of Albion, Molyneux’s new strategy game, feels like it can fill the B&W-shaped hole in my soul.

It’s worth stating up front that Masters of Albion is set in its own standalone universe despite the ‘Albion’ link with Fable (although, to be fair, ‘Albion’ is just the ancient name for Great Britain). You build your town during the day, procuring goods, refining trade routes, and dueling in the political arena. Like any good city builder, you’ll have to manage the needs of your citizens, organize your supplies, and maintain your kingdom – we want fantastical grandeur, not post-Blight Ferelden grime.

But, at night, the world changes. You take control of one of the city’s heroes, then ride out into battle to take down waves of enemies. Action plays out in third person, and you can customize your warriors however you see fit. You can recruit locals to fight alongside you, then venture out into the open world to scavenge resources and showcase your prowess. All in all, it sounds great.

In true god game style, you also control an ethereal hand that can craft weapons, build structures, or possess the townsfolk and force them to go on potentially life-threatening quests (they love it, really). You can control both humans and animals to explore during the day, but nighttime is where your skills fully shine.

As shown in the new trailer below, while your heroes lead the charge, you can participate in the battle from above, launching bomb-like fireballs, zapping foes with devastating lightning magic, or chasing them with spiked iron balls Crash Bandicoot-style. As long as your people are safe, that’s what matters – and you can award yourself some creativity points, too.

The Masters of Albion release date is set for Wednesday April 22, 2026. If you can’t wait, you can wishlist it right here, and join the official Discord to chat with other players.

We spoke to Molyneux about Masters of Albion in 2025, where he called it a “reinvention of the god game” – a statement he claims could “get him into trouble” following a couple of instances of overpromising and underdelivering. But Masters of Albion looks like the real deal, and I’m genuinely excited to try it. And, yes, I’ll will 100% be yeeting some peasants into rivers. Sorry not sorry.