Over the years, Ubisoft has established itself as a developer that can produce quality games. Its titles span multiple genres, from open-world action stealth series like Assassin's Creed, to cartoonish party games like Rayman Raving Rabbids. Ubisoft's 2020 game, Immortals Fenyx Rising, represented a slightly new direction for the studio, using Ubisoft's classic third-person, single-player narrative structure but with a look and feel similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While the game was well-received, Immortals Fenyx Rising didn't quite reach the lofty commercial heights of some of Ubisoft's other titles.
Nevertheless, rumors have started to swirl around a possible sequel. Well-known leaker Tom Henderson has claimed that an Immortals Fenyx Rising sequel is currently in pre-production, which has come as welcome news to fans of the first game. Immortals Fenyx Rising was an indication that Ubisoft wasn't afraid to move away from the shadow of its long-running series like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry and try something a little different. A sequel could push the boundaries even further and explore new mythological territory.
Greek Mythology in Immortals Fenyx Rising
Greek mythology has proved to be a fertile source of inspiration for video games over the years. From Ubisoft's own Assassin's Creed Odyssey, to Supergiant Games' roguelike Hades, there is no shortage of titles that focus on or are inspired by Greek gods and monsters. Immortals Fenyx Rising features prominent figures in Greek mythology, such as Prometheus and Zeus, as well as many mythological monsters. The game's DLC, Myths of the Eastern Realm, shifted the focus to Chinese mythology and helped to lay the groundwork for how different inspirations could form the basis of the next game while retaining Immortals Fenyx Rising's formula.
Alternate Mythological Settings
Although one of Immortals Fenyx Rising's DLCs was already based on Chinese mythology, this could be explored further in a sequel. It is full of fantastical beings and creatures that would not only offer a rich source of storytelling, but also a visually diverse experience from the first game. There are many mythological locations in Chinese myth that would be fascinating to explore, with locations beneath the sea, among the mountains, and subterranean realms like Diyu — the realm of the dead.
Norse mythology is a particularly overused source of inspiration in games, especially in recent years with titles like 2018's God Of War and its sequel. While it's definitely evocative and well-known, there are plenty of similar but lesser-known mythologies that could be a good choice for an Immortals Fenyx Rising sequel. Baltic mythology has similar European and pagan roots and encompasses Latvian and Lithuanian mythology, as well as some others. It contains a pantheon of gods like Greek mythology, so could fit in well with the game's established format.
Another choice could be Sumerian mythology, which would offer visually distinct and interesting locations, as well as a number of powerful deities representing various cosmic and terrestrial forces. The Sumerian pantheon was likewise full of gods that had compelling (and sometimes mischievous) relationships with each other, and could be a great one to explore in the next Immortals Fenyx Rising title.
If the rumored Immortals Fenyx Rising game focused on Polynesian mythology, it could include Central and South Pacific Ocean island settings and their lush scenery. With more of a focus on nautical locations, as well as a whole host of colorful demigods and cultural heroes to feature, Polynesian culture offers up another near-bottomless source of inspiration. Their belief in mana — a sacred and supernatural power contained in all things — could lead to some intriguing gameplay opportunities as well.
Celtic mythology isn't something that has featured at the forefront of many video games. Some have explored it before, like Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice which is in part inspired by Celtic culture, but Immortals Fenyx Rising's follow-up could definitely delve deeper. Celtic religion was also polytheistic, offering up lots of divine characters to feature in the game like the warrior king and sea god Manann, or Aine, the goddess of summer. Celtic mythology is usually concerned with warfare and battle, so this already presents plenty of opportunities for action-focused quests in line with the folklore elements.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.