Since being first announced back in 2017, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora had 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 Pandora proved to be one of the highlights of Ubisoft's E3 conference, and got fans excited about the future of the Avatar franchise.
Another upcoming Avatar release arrives in the form of Avatar 2, the movie sequel to the immensely popular Avatar. It's now been over a decade since the original Avatar movie, 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 where Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora could help to bridge that gap, subtly bringing fans back into the world of Pandora before the later release of Avatar 2.
Avatar 2 and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's Release
If all goes well and Avatar 2's release date is correct, 13 years will have passed since the release of Avatar. 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 the story of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora could fulfill a useful role instead, by filling in some of the blanks and reminding fans of the story of Avatar.
If Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is intended to bridge the gap between the two movies, getting the setting right could be crucial to its success. If Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's setting is within the same span of time as the sequel, Avatar would find itself with the same problem it was already facing. From the sounds of Avatar 2's description, 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 2 risks overwhelming fans with too much new information, too soon.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's Place in the Avatar Franchise
To understand where Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora fits into the Avatar franchise, knowledge of the setting of Avatar 2 is necessary. Avatar 2 sounds as though it's set long after the events of the original Avatar. The description of Avatar 2 notes 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 of Avatar 2 will pick up many years on from Avatar.
One major clue as to the timeframe of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is the game's release date. While both the game and the movie are set to release in the same year, Frontiers of Pandora is slated for an early 2022 release, while Avatar 2 is 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's trailer gave 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 Pandora will release in 2022 on Amazon Luna, Google Stadia, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.