Expanding the Avatar franchise with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Hi PlayStation Blog readers! Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will be out tomorrow on PS5, letting you to play as a Na’vi and explore a brand-new continent of Pandora: the Western Frontier. The team at Massive Entertainment – an Ubisoft Studio, in collaboration with James Cameron’s production company Lightstorm Entertainment and Disney expanded the world of Avatar, offering players the opportunity to discover new regions, clans, fauna and more.

True to the Avatar ethos

The goal for the teams at Massive and Ubisoft has always been to build upon the existing Avatar lore, allowing players to experience never-before-seen parts of Pandora firsthand. In order to do that the dev team worked closely with Lightstorm to comply to the logic of the Avatar universe. There were cultural Na’vi guidelines to abide by such as no written language nor monetary system. In addition to this, Na’vi follow Eywa’s three laws: You shall not set stone upon stone, neither use the turning wheel, nor use the metals from the ground. There were also broader guidelines for world building: Pandora being a metaphor for Earth must feel alien, yet familiar. Everything should be grounded in science, that is why the team refers to “science-fact” rather than ” science-fiction”. Finally, the world must feel epic in scale, and always combine elements of wonder and danger.  

The Aranahe Hometree is found in the Kinglor Forest.

New regions with new biomes

With these guidelines in mind, as well as a close collaboration with the Avatar filmmakers, the dev team was able to create never-before-seen regions of Pandora. The Kinglor Forest is a lush rainforest brimming with life and dense vegetation, the closer in looks to the environments seen in the first Avatar film.

The Kinglor Forest, a lush rainforest full of wonders and dangers.

Other regions were designed to contrast this familiar landscape, such as the vast and windswept Upper Plains and the foggy and mysterious Clouded Forest.

The Upper Plains, open grasslands swept by the winds.

The Clouded Forest, cluster pines biome.

New Na’vi Clans & cultures

Within these regions dwell new Na’vi clans with their own unique cultures.

The Aranahe clan of the Kinglor Forest is stylish, sophisticated, and intellectual. They have survived by valuing the needs of the community over the wants of the individual, and frown upon those who would question these ancient ways. The clan is led by Ka’nat and his daughter Etuwa, though the two do not always see eye-to-eye.

The Aranahe Clan, the master weavers.

The Zeswa of the Upper Plains are nomadic and travel with a group of giant, docile, and empathic creatures called the Zakru, whose lifecycle is intimately connected with the clan’s. The clan is led by Nesim, a forceful and instinctual warrior. Her sister Minang acts as a counterweight to her warrior instincts, but she too is shaken by the cruelty of the RDA.

The Zeswa Clan, the nomadic fierce warriors.

The Kame’tire of the Clouded Forest believe that all wounds eventually scab over and heal, so too all impurities of the spirit can be redeemed. They are taciturn and extremely reserved but extraordinary caretakers. While they may not go into battle for what they love, they will conceal, heal, and protect that which has value. The clan’s leader Anufi has slipped away from the clan, finding it easier to relate to the dead and the ancestors. In her absence, her advisor Mokasa is effectively in control, though his motives are suspect.

The Kame’tire Clan, the secretive healers.

New fauna

The dev team of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora created 46 new creatures for the game, which range in size from tiny insects to huge, thunderous animals. Anatomy and function of animals rely heavily on real-life Earth references, while still being rooted into Pandora’s natural structure.

As an example, the Echo Stalker lives in the Clouded Forest, a misty and mysterious region where creatures developed particular behaviors around hiding, as well as unique detection abilities. The Echo Stalker is a blind animal using echo-location to hunt. It’s the regional evolution of the Viperwolf, created by James Cameron’s teams for the rainforest of the first Avatar film. The bat was also an obvious terrestrial reference for this predator.

Be mindful of the noise you make in the Clouded Forest or the blind Echo Stalker might well hear you.

Another example is the Soundblast Colossus, a massive herbivore that lives in the Upper Plains. If attacked, it generates a powerful sound blast that can injure surrounding predators, knock out the player and serve as a warning for nearby preys. As its special attack shows, the Soundblast Colossus was specifically designed to take advantage of the strong winds sweeping the Upper Plains.

The massive Upper Plains creature that is the Soundblast Colossus could surprise you with its Windblast defense. Only the strongest predators dare to hunt it.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is out tomorrow. PS5 players who purchase the game will receive the Aranahe Warrior Pack for free.

You can purchase the game at PlayStation Store in multiple editions to start your own journey on Pandora:

• The Standard Edition with the base game
• The Gold Edition with the game and Season Pass, including two upcoming story packs ‘The Sky Breaker” and “Secrets of the Spires”, the “Familiar Echoes” bonus quest, a unique banshee, and more.
• The Ultimate Edition with the game, Season Pass, Ultimate Pack, and digital art book.
  

Sivako!