James Cameron's Avatar franchise has made a triumphant return with the release of Avatar: The Way of Water, which has already claimed the number three spot on the list of highest-grossing movies of all time, despite a 13-year gap between films. The demand for more Avatar content is evident, but Ubisoft's Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is yet to see the light of day. Despite being announced in 2017, the game has been in development for a similar duration as the film, with no definite release date in sight. Although Ubisoft has provided a vague 2023-2024 fiscal year release window, the lack of concrete information and updates on the game's progress has left fans feeling anxious. However, fans haven't given up hope and are actively seeking out any information they can find on the highly anticipated game.
Every Leak and Rumor Surrounding Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora So Far
The gaming industry has long been plagued by leaks, but their frequency has been on the rise. It's become commonplace for high-profile AAA games to have their gameplay, story details, or release date leaked weeks before their official announcement. Despite managing to stay under the radar for some time, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has recently been hit by three separate rounds of leaks, all linked to ScriptLeaksR6.
ScriptLeaksR6 was also the source of the Assassin's Creed Mirage key art leak, which subsequently turned out to be true. Over the past few months, the group has taken to Reddit and Twitter to leak a few Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora details, and while all leaks should be taken with a grain of salt, these appear to be credible. The first leak, which was released on March 22, 2023, revealed a pre-order bonus for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora called "The Child of Two Worlds Pack," comprising a cosmetic character set and a weapon skin. The leak included an image of the pre-order bonus, providing fans with a glimpse of the two cosmetics. These appear to give the player's Na'vi character a red shoulder pad, and the assault rifle a blue and yellow highlight skin.
On March 27, a significant leak for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora surfaced when ScriptLeaksR6 released two purported in-game screenshots that Ubisoft has since taken down. The first screenshot depicts a snippet of gameplay wherein the player controls a Na'vi from a first-person perspective, wielding an assault rifle while an RDA AMP mech suit approaches them with an explosion in the background. The second screenshot appears to be from an in-game cinematic, featuring a Na'vi character riding a Banshee towards a small lake. Then, on April 1, 2023, ScriptLeaksR6 revealed another substantial leak, which was a summary of the game's features that seemed to be taken from an official press document yet to be released. This summary confirmed that the player would control a Na'vi who was captured by the RDA at a young age and forced to fight alongside them, tying in with the previously leaked pre-order bonus' mention of a "Child of Two Worlds."
In Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, players will have the opportunity to reunite with their Na'vi tribe and team up with other clans to take on the RDA in the uncharted Western Frontier. As per the leaked summary, the game will allow players to utilize Na'vi weaponry such as bows and spear-throwers, as well as RDA firearms like shotguns and assault rifles. Along with character customization, the game will feature a crafting system, skill trees, and the ability to tame a Banshee for both aerial combat and traversal. The game is currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.