Ubisoft’s open-world sci-fi adventure Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has been delayed out of its previous release window. The upcoming Na’vi simulator will be directly based on James Cameron’s Avatar film franchise, which is set to receive its second big-screen installment in December. Ubisoft previously established an Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora release window of late 2022 or early 2023, but now the Pandora experience has seemingly been pushed to the 2024 fiscal year.
James Cameron’s 2009 film Avatar introduced viewers to the planet Pandora and its Na’vi inhabitants, and Frontiers of Pandora will turn the luminescent setting into an interactive open world. Players will control an original Na’vi protagonist and explore the Western Frontier, a never-before-seen region of Pandora. Human colonists will serve as the game’s primary antagonists, just like in the original Avatar film, and players are expected to encounter and tame all manner of Pandoran wildlife like Banshees and Direhorses. The release of the Ubisoft title was meant to coincide with the upcoming film sequel Avatar: Way of Water, but Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora development delays continue to push the game back.
Recognized industry insider Nibel (via Twitter) has reported that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has been delayed and is now slated for release in 2023 or 2024. This information, taken from an Ubisoft sales report on Crwe World, suggests that the game’s launch has been pushed from the 2023 fiscal year into the 2024 fiscal year. This marks the latest in a string of delays for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, which mirror the repeated delay of James Cameron’s Avatar film sequels. For now, a firm release date for the game remains completely unclear.
While many Ubisoft fans and Na’vi devotees are excited about the game, some are concerned that microtransactions in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora could ruin the iconic sci-fi settings colorful beauty. Ubisoft has become notorious for implementing in-game purchases that let players get ahead in their single-player open-world franchises like Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs. Some gamers believe that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora could turn human weapons, gunships, experience points and fast travel into paid commodities rather than built-in parts of the Na’vi experience. However, so far Ubisoft has not commented on whether Frontiers of Pandora will include microtransactions.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was first announced back in 2017, and its latest delay has pushed the exciting open-world Na’vi adventure into the next fiscal year. Avatar: The Way of Water is set to premier in December, so Ubisoft’s game will now arrive after James Cameron’s franchise returns to the silver screen. After so many delays, the eventual arrival of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will hopefully be worth the wait.
Sources: Nibel/Twitter, Crwe World
