Fable 2 shipping without online co-op

Lionhead Studios' Peter Molyneux has a reputation for promising features for his games that don't always make it into the final product that ships to retailers. Today in a post on GamerScoreBlog, Microsoft confirmed that will happen once more with Fable II.

When Fable II arrives in stores, it will lack the online co-op multiplayer mode Molyneux touted at a 2008 Game Developers Conference presentation.. On the bright side, Microsoft is promising that the feature will be added in a downloadable update, possibly within the game's first week on North American shelves. For those who can't wait for a patch to adventure with friends, the game will include local co-op play out of the box.

However, the game won't be entirely offline when it ships. Players will see gamers on their friends list as glowing orbs in-game and will be able to chat or trade with them.

Fable II is expected to arrive in stores October 21. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.