Key Highlights:
- Fable III unexpectedly appeared as a free download for Xbox Live Gold members on June 10, 2013.
- The unusual Marketplace listing initially left players unsure whether the offer was intentional or a pricing error.
- Microsoft later confirmed that Fable III was genuinely being offered free to eligible Xbox Live Gold subscribers.
An unexpected Xbox Live Marketplace listing made Fable III free to download for Xbox Live Gold members on June 10, 2013, although it was initially unclear whether Microsoft intended to give the game away.
Players discovered that selecting Microsoft Points as the payment method reduced the Games on Demand version of Fable III to zero cost. Xbox Live Silver members continued to see the normal purchase price, indicating that the offer was connected specifically to Gold membership.
The lack of an immediate announcement from Microsoft created uncertainty around the promotion. Contemporary reports raised the possibility that the free listing could have been a Marketplace pricing error rather than an official giveaway.
Fable III had originally launched for Xbox 360 in 2010 as the third main entry in Lionhead Studios’ role-playing series. Set in Albion decades after Fable II, the game follows the Hero’s rebellion against King Logan before shifting towards the responsibilities and consequences of ruling the kingdom.
The mystery surrounding the Marketplace listing did not last long. Microsoft later confirmed that Fable III was free for Xbox Live Gold subscribers, with eligible members able to claim the full game during June 2013.
The promotion also arrived alongside Microsoft’s introduction of Games with Gold, its new Xbox Live Gold benefit offering downloadable Xbox 360 games to subscribers. Fable III acted as a special early bonus ahead of the programme beginning its regular schedule in July.
The unexpected free listing therefore proved to be a genuine promotion rather than an Xbox Live Marketplace mistake.
