Since being first announced back in 2017,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorahad received very little in the way of news. This, however, all changed with Ubisoft’s 2021 E3 conference, which put the game back in the minds of many. While the trailer was pre-rendered, it offered fans their first real look at what the game is set to be.Avatar: Frontiers of Pandoraproved to be one of the highlights of Ubisoft’s E3 conference, and got fans excited about the future of theAvatarfranchise.
Another upcomingAvatarrelease arrives in the form ofAvatar 2, the movie sequel to the immensely popularAvatar. It’s now been over a decade since the originalAvatarmovie, and fans have been kept in the dark waiting for updates on the follow-up. The sequel was announced way back in 2010 but has been subject to eight delays since. These delays have left the movie in a precarious situation, as the large gap between the original movie and the sequel may leave fans feeling disconnected from the story. This is whereAvatar: Frontiers of Pandoracould help to bridge that gap, subtly bringing fans back into the world of Pandora before the laterrelease ofAvatar 2.
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Avatar 2 and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s Release
If all goes well andAvatar 2’srelease date is correct, 13 years will have passed since the release ofAvatar. With this in mind, it’s likely that fans will need to refresh their memory before seeing the long-awaited sequel. The original movie spanned across a lengthy period of time, during which, plenty of important lore was established. While this could be covered during the opening of the film, that then takes up a valuable portion of the movie covering topics that fans are already familiar with. This is where thestory ofAvatar: Frontiers of Pandoracould fulfill a useful role instead, by filling in some of the blanks and reminding fans of the story ofAvatar.
IfAvatar: Frontiers of Pandorais intended to bridge the gap between the two movies, getting the setting right could be crucial to its success. IfAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora’ssettingis within the same span of time as the sequel,Avatarwould find itself with the same problem it was already facing. From the sounds ofAvatar 2’sdescription, the movie takes place many years on from the original movie. This is good from the perspective of keeping the sequel fresh, but complications arise should it feel as though too much time has passed from the original.Avatar 2risks overwhelming fans with too much new information, too soon.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s Place in the Avatar Franchise
To understand whereAvatar: Frontiers of Pandorafits into theAvatarfranchise, knowledge ofthe setting ofAvatar 2is necessary.Avatar 2sounds as though it’s set long after the events of the originalAvatar. The description ofAvatar 2notes how Jake and Ney’tiri have started a family together, and are now facing an “ancient threat.” Humans have returned to the world of Pandora, and they once again threaten the Na’vi way of life. The implication that humans are now an ancient memory, combined with the revelation that Jake and Ney’tiri have started a family, suggests the story ofAvatar 2will pick up many years on fromAvatar.
One major clue as to the timeframe ofAvatar: Frontiers of Pandorais the game’s release date. While both the game and the movie are set to release in the same year,Frontiers of Pandorais slated for an early 2022 release, whileAvatar 2is towards the end of 2022. It seems the intention is for both projects to launch within the same window, with the game launching first.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’strailergave very few hints, however, the main conflict of the game is clearly humans again, suggesting it will fall within the same time frame. This combined with the fact that neither Jake nor Ney’tiri made an appearance in the trailer could suggest that the game will cover the same conflict but from a different perspective.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorawill release in 2022 on Amazon Luna, Google Stadia, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
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