As James Cameron’s Avatar series is finally ready to hit the big screen again, Ubisoft is preparing to release its own official Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (blue guys, not airbenders) game in the coming months. The game promises to be a showcase of just what the latest consoles like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 can do as players will be able to explore the beautiful world of Pandora (blue guys, not vault hunters). Here’s everything we know!
Further reading
Release date
Ubisoft’s stated release date is simply 2022. Obviously, that’s a broad window (and half-over), but a specific launch date hasn’t been announced yet. As we’ve seen frequently in the past few years, games can get multiple delays, and there’s no sure guarantee of when Frontiers of Pandora will be released. However, we can glean a few things.
First, Cameron’s next big Avatar movie, which is supposed to be followed by three more sequels in the coming years, is set to launch sometime at the end of 2022. Releasing the game near that window could have a lot of synergy that Ubisoft may want to tap into. Second, during its latest financial report, Ubisoft mentioned that the game would be released before the end of its next financial year, which is April 1, 2023. That gives us a different window to work with, but one that still includes plenty of 2022. Some leaks indicate November 18, but that’s nothing we can confirm.
Platforms
Frontiers of Pandora will be available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna. Developers used the Snowdrop engine to create it, and it’s expected to be one of the best-looking games on consoles this year … which is also why it’s not available on older console generations, and you’ll want a powerful device (and bandwidth) if you’re playing over something like Luna or Stadia.
Trailer and gameplay
In 2021, the game received a first-look trailer that remains the most expansive view that we’ve had so far. Unsurprisingly, the cinematics highlight the verdant growth and alien wildlife of Pandora. We get to see a lot of creatures, plus some bad guy warfare and a bit of aerial combat.
Unfortunately, we don’t get to see any gameplay, so there are still many unanswered questions. Ubisoft calls the game a first-person, action-adventure title that sports an immersive, open-world experience. If the trailer reminded you of Horizon Forbidden West or one of the Far Cry titles, you’re not alone, but we don’t know much beyond that.
Story in the Avatar-verse
Ubisoft is keeping the story of Frontiers of Pandora largely hidden at this time, but there are a few things worth noting. First, the publisher has been clear that this is an independent story that’s connected to neither past nor future Avatar movies. You can play the game without getting any spoilers for the movie, and vice versa.
Otherwise, we know that you will “play as a Na’vi and embark on a journey across the Western Frontier, a never-before-seen part of Pandora.” This will require you to “push back the formidable RDA forces that threaten it.” That RDA is the Resources Development Administation, aka the human baddies trying to exploit Pandora for its resources with the help of a not-insignificant army. Players will be fighting them in a “living and reactive world,” and developers have mentioned that NPCs will have fully active 24-hour schedules that will shift depending on events in the world.
Multiplayer
While Frontiers of Pandora hasn’t been explicitly called a single-player game, there does not appear to be any multiplayer aspects at this time.
Price and pre-ordering
There’s no pricing info or pre-order options yet. Far Cry 6 sold for $59.99, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla sold for $59.99, and we don’t expect anything different for Frontiers of Pandora at this time, aside from any premium bundles that may be offered. Ubisoft also loves its season passes with extra content, so we suspect one of those will be present, too.
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