Games like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora always leave questions as to whether or not it’s canon. Clever game developers often try to separate the events of the game from the movies to ensure they don’t get in the way of the story. Though this does often leave questions as to whether the video game follows canon events.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is an open-world game set in the alien world of Pandora. Published by Ubisoft and developed by Massive Entertainment, this video game explores its very own corner of Pandora that’s never before seen in the movies which is the Western Frontier. It does leave questions as to where it belongs and how Frontiers of Pandora is related to the Avatar films.
How is Avatar Frontiers of Pandora connected to the movies?
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora takes place during the 15 year time skip of the first Avatar movie and The Way of Water. This video game has already been confirmed as canon by James Cameron and is set to explore its own corner of Pandora that won’t interfere with the mainline entries.
While there are reference to the Avatar movies, Frontiers of Pandora will not crossover with the events of their stories. However they do co-exist in the same timeline. According to Cameron, they wanted to tell different stories that all happen in the same universe without it being intertwined.
You will see references to the Avatar movies in Frontiers of Pandora. Both the game and the movies will co-exist with each other so movie watchers and gamers can enjoy them without the lore contradicting each other.
Developed by Massive Entertainment, the same ones who worked on Ubisoft’s The Division, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora adopts a Far Cry style approach when it comes to the gameplay. You play as a Na’vi orphan who’s been taken from their clan by the Resource Development Admission (RDA) and trained to fight against your own kind.
Do I have to watch the movies before playing Avatar Frontiers of Pandora?
It isn’t necessary to watch the Avatar movies before playing Frontiers of Pandora. The video game will have its own separate story that’s separate from the events of the movie so it can be enjoyed as a standalone experience.
The premise of Avatar is simple enough that you don’t really need that much background context to get an idea of what’s going on. Humanity is colonizing the alien world of Pandora and its natural inhabitants are doing everything they can to resist. The Avatar themes always have a strong emphasis against colonization of any sort.
Even without watching the first Avatar film or Way of the Water, you’ll be able to follow along Frontiers of Pandora without getting lost. It features its own cast that’s separate from the movies.