Some of Ubisoft’s newest projects were announced at the Ubisoft E3 Expo panel over the weekend, with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora being revealed to the world with a stunning cinematic trailer. The Avatar franchise has not received any content beyond the occasional comic since the original movie’s release in 2009, which was also accompanied by a video game. It appears that the film sequel is launching with a similar idea in mind, as both Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Avatar 2 are scheduled for a 2022 release date. Given how often the film has been delayed, should fans expect to receive the movie first or the game?
The Avatar film sequel has been subject to delays eight times since its initial announcement in 2010. Delays in both movie and game development are to be expected, as unseen hurdles in production can hinder even the most efficient teams. Avatar 2 and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora are not exempt from this, as a lack of information from both projects leaves their release dates questionable at best.
One of the biggest clues about which property will release first is the release dates of each. While Avatar 2 has a confirmed release date of December 16th, 2022, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has only specified that it will release at some point during the year 2022. The lack of a specific release date could be a sign of an impending delay, but it could also be leaving space for the game to arrange for a proper release. Avatar 2 releases just a few weeks before the end of the year, whereas Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has an entire year of opportunities to release before the film.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora Could Get Delayed Too
One of the biggest worries surrounding Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora are the delays it might have suffered as a result of the pandemic. Countless video game projects have been pushed back as a result of teams being separated and working from home. There has been no gameplay shown for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and this is worrying for several reasons. The earliest Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora could release is in January of 2022, meaning that Ubisoft has a little less than six months to begin showing potential buyers what they’ll be purchasing. Gameplay, plot, and other game features have all been left to speculating from hints in the cinematic trailer. This lack of information points to a much later release date than some fans may anticipate.
Similar to Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, the only trailer that’s been released for Avatar 2 has been a concept trailer. The film sequel has suffered some serious delays throughout production, with reportedly some Avatar 2 writers’ jobs needing to be threatened to stay on track. There has been regular filming on sets, but fans still have little information on what the story will be about. Much of the film’s delay has been blamed on the technology used to design Pandora’s underwater world, but with several notable actors of the cast working on other projects, scheduling delays may have also contributed.
If the release dates stay true to what they are now, it is likely that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will release before Avatar 2, which won’t release until the end of 2022. Both products will likely want to take advantage of the holiday rush, so the odds of releasing at similar timeframes is high. Ubisoft may be attempting to mirror the relationship of the first Avatar movie and game, which were released within a few weeks of one another. Fans were able to purchase the game first, approximately two weeks before the movie’s release, and were able to see the film after. If this pattern continues, fans will likely be able to experience Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora before Avatar 2.
