Showrunner AI Wants to Turn Movies Into Playable Experiences Where Audiences Become Creators

Fable's Showrunner platform lets anyone generate animated TV episodes with text prompts, backed by Amazon investment and a vision for interactive entertainment that transforms viewers into active story creators.

Fable believes playable movies and shows represent the next evolution beyond traditional streaming, where audiences can remix, personalize, and expand narratives in real-time. The platform's community-driven approach removes traditional media gatekeepers, allowing direct creation through simple text instructions.

The conversation around AI in entertainment has largely focused on how the technology will disrupt VFX and animation workflows. But Fable CEO Edward Saatchi, co-founder of the former Oculus Story Studios, sees a bigger shift coming.

"So much focus has been on how AI will disrupt the VFX and animation industry," Saatchi explains. "But the Toy Story of AI moment isn't just going to be a cheap animated film. It's going to be playable movies & shows: remixable, multiplayer, personalized, interactive."

This vision moves well beyond cost reduction or efficiency gains. Showrunner positions itself as the "Netflix of AI" – not because it streams existing content, but because it empowers users to create new animated episodes on demand using text prompts.

The platform's community element distinguishes it from other AI video tools. Users collaborate through Discord, sharing and building on each other's creations in real-time. Rather than isolated generation, Showrunner enables shared storytelling universes where multiple creators can contribute.

Exit Valley serves as the flagship example – a Family Guy-style animated satire set in "Sim Francisco," lampooning Silicon Valley figures including Elon Musk and Sam Altman. The show demonstrates how community-driven content can expand beyond any single creator's vision.

Fable previously gained attention for releasing nine AI-generated South Park episodes that accumulated over 80 million views, proving audience appetite for AI-native content.

In late July 2025, Amazon led a significant investment round in Fable, though the exact amount remains undisclosed. The partnership signals how major entertainment and technology companies view AI-native content platforms.

Amazon's involvement suggests potential integration with Prime Video and Twitch ecosystems, or support for cloud infrastructure and massive-scale distribution. This backing provides both resources and credibility for Fable's ambitious vision.

The investment comes as competition intensifies among tech giants racing to advance generative video and AI entertainment. Rather than competing directly on photorealism, Fable positions itself as collaborative within this landscape.

Saatchi's long-term vision extends beyond individual content creation to fundamentally reimagining entertainment consumption. The company targets 2026 for their first movie, "Everything Is Fine" – described as a "heartwarming romantic quest" that will be a fully playable experience.

"Our first movie, targeting 2026, is Everything Is Fine – a heartwarming romantic quest. It will be a playable movie," Saatchi explains. "In the future you'll go to the cinema on a Friday... And by Sunday there'll be millions of new scenes, thousands of new episodes within that storyworld."

This represents a radical departure from traditional film distribution. Instead of fixed narratives, audiences would experience living storyworlds that expand and evolve based on community interaction and AI generation.

Showrunner's approach removes traditional media production barriers – no agents, studios, or approval pipelines required. "Just you, your ideas, and the power to shape the story," as the platform describes its value proposition.

This democratization raises questions about content moderation, intellectual property, and narrative coherence at scale. However, it also opens creative possibilities for storytellers who previously lacked access to traditional production resources.

The platform's alpha status indicates rapid development and iteration, with features expanding based on community feedback gathered through Discord engagement.

If Fable's vision gains mainstream adoption, it will challenge current streaming, animation, and gaming paradigms. The concept of "playable entertainment" blurs boundaries between fan fiction, user-generated content communities, and professional TV production.

With Amazon's backing and a clear technical demonstration through Exit Valley, Showrunner positions itself at the center of a potential shift toward participatory, AI-native entertainment. The success of this model will likely depend on balancing creative freedom with coherent storytelling at an unprecedented scale.

The platform represents more than just another AI video tool – it's a bet on fundamentally changing the relationship between creators and audiences in the entertainment industry.