On the delay, announced in their latest earnings report, Ubisoft said they’re “committed to delivering a cutting-edge immersive experience that takes full advantage of next-gen technology, as this amazing global entertainment brand represents a major multi-year opportunity”. The publisher credited the delay to the “ongoing constraints on productions across the industry”, adding that developers Massive Entertainment were working to put in place “the most efficient working conditions to ensure both flexibility for our teams as well as strong productivity”. Ubisoft revealed Frontiers Of Pandora at E3 2021 with a cinematic trailer that did all the Avatar stuff you’d hope to see, like riding around on the back of giant alien monsters and firing bows at mechs. We also got a closer look at some of the graphical wizardry involved in producing the game not long afterwards. Frontiers of Pandora was originally pencilled in to launch sometime in 2022, most likely later this year to coincide with the release of Avatar: The Way Of Water in cinemas this December. There definitely won’t be any cross-media synergising now thanks to the delay. Nate (RPS in Peace) got some good, if bizarre, vibes from the trailer, saying “if I get an Ubisofted version of Horizon Zero Dawn, with loads of alien wildlife to hunt/pet/ride about on, plus some nasty, cigar-chomping space marines to burst into shreds, I’ll be a happy bunny. Even if I have to play as a Pokémon that fucks.” Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora should be out sometime in 2023 or 2024. I’m betting it’ll be 2024, which is when the third Avatar movie is expected to swoop into theatres, bow in hand.
