Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is Ubisoft’s upcoming game set in the world of James Cameron’s hugely successful Avatar franchise. When not adjusted for inflation, the Avatar movies are some of the highest-grossing movies of all time, with the first Avatar recently reclaiming the top spot from Avengers Endgame after some cinematic re-releases, and its sequel Avatar: The Way of Water breaking records upon its release in 2022.
Ubisoft has had prior experience with the Avatar franchise, with a 2009 movie tie-in game that served as a prequel for the first film and saw players taking control of either a member of the Na’vi or the RDA (Resource Development Administration) with different gameplay and weapons depending on what they chose. Ubisoft created the upcoming Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora in collaboration with Disney and James Cameron’s production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, and the title promises a much larger experience than Ubisoft’s more linear 2009 title, with players able to explore a completely new area of Pandora for the first time via a massive open-world.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora Will Release In December 2023
The release date for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was announced at Ubisoft Forward 2023. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will release on December 7, 2023, mirroring the Winter release windows for both The Way of Water and the upcoming Avatar sequels. Pre-orders are available now and include the Child of Two Worlds Pack, which incorporates a cosmetic set and weapon skins.
What Platform Is Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora On?
Currently, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora seems to be a current-gen exclusive. It will release on Amazon’s cloud-based gaming platform, Amazon Luna, PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5, with players on the latter console receiving exclusive access to the Aranahe Warrior Pack for free at launch. There’s been no word regarding any support for previous-gen hardware or a Nintendo Switch release for the game, and a release on these platforms seems highly unlikely with Ubisoft’s press release stating that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora had been exclusively developed to maximize the power of new-gen consoles and PC.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora’s Story Details – Setting, Characters, Plot
Similarly to the movies, Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora will focus on the conflict between the alien Na’vi tribe, and the RDA. The human-led RDA looks to plunder Pandora for resources, setting up many bases across the planet that cause widespread pollution, as well as harming and poaching some of the planet’s creatures, and a huge aim of the game is to destroy these bases and allow the ever-changing open-world of Pandora to organically “heal” once this pollution is lifted.
Players will assume control of a character who was a child of two worlds, born Na’vi but raised and trained by the RDA after being abducted as a child by one of the RDA’s leaders – and presumably the game’s main antagonist – John Mercer. This brutal yet unique upbringing has provided her experience with the RDA’s futuristic military tech, but upon reintegrating with the Na’vi after 15 years in RDA captivity, she begins to become accustomed to using the tribes’ traditional longbow weapons as well, making her quite a formidable adversary to the RDA as she’s able to use their tactics against them.
Set in the never-before-seen Western Frontier of Pandora, Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora takes place fifteen years after the events of the first Avatar film and prior to The Way of Water in a time when humanity has returned to Pandora to continue exploiting its resources. The Na’vi protagonist finds themselves free of the RDA, but also a stranger in their own birthplace. Over the course of the game’s main campaign, players will witness the Na’vi reconnecting with their lost heritage as a Sarentu – a tribe of which they bear a mark upon their face – while learning from the memories of their ancestors, and discovering what it truly means to be Na’vi, while joining forces with other clans to protect Pandora.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora’s Gameplay, Combat, & Exploration Details
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is primarily a first-person open-world action-adventure game. It does, however, appear to have moments of third-person gameplay when taming and utilizing the creatures on Pandora such as the flying Ikran or the Zakru of the upper planes as mounts to traverse the world of Pandora, with the Ikran also assisting with aerial combat against the RDA. Players will also be able to visit the tribe’s Hometree and use it as a refuge to rest and learn from the others who inhabit it.
As is the case with many games of the same genre, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora features a skill tree that unlocks as players progress through the game, unlocking powers and “instincts” that help them to analyze and strategically plan their attacks, as well as surviving, and reuniting with the Na’vi clans and the aforementioned creatures that inhabit Pandora. There is also a crafting system to make items and weapons, with better resources available the more Pandora begins to heal, merging the protagonist’s knowledge of technology with the more traditional tribal weaponry of the Na’vi, which will assist players in their adventure.
According to the Ubisoft Forward gameplay overview, Na’vi weapons are “more precise,” with the longbow being perfect for targeting long-range targets, and the staff sling being a great way to set up traps. The protagonist’s human training with the RDA allows for a more “explosive approach” with a variety of less precise, but more powerful weapons such as assault rifles, shotguns, and rocket launchers. As well as the aforementioned weapons, players will also be able to use the naturally enhanced strength and agility of the Na’vi protagonist to take apart AMP units by hand, becoming a force to be reckoned with in battle.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora Has a Co-Op Mode
Although not much focus has been put on the feature in the game’s announcements and gameplay reveals so far, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora can, alongside single-player mode, be played online in two-player co-op. As is the case with another Ubisoft FPS series, Far Cry, players will be able to join their friends at will, with the option to drop in and help each other with the occasional level, or to fight side-by-side throughout the entire game’s campaign.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora certainly seems like an interesting addition to the Avatar story, and should tide fans of the sci-fi series over until its next cinematic release in 2024. As is to be expected considering James Cameron’s involvement, the game’s story seems to stay true to the main themes of the movies while offering a more unique perspective of the conflict as a “child of two worlds,” and the world looks as visually stunning as ever, making exploring Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s massive open-world map a truly enticing prospect.
