Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is getting a big-budgeted AAA action RPG, developed by Paramount Game Studios and Saber Interactive, according to IGN’s report. The game will be developed in ‘close collaboration’ with the original creators, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, through the Avatar Studios division.
However, Aang fans might feel somewhat let down as the game is set to be a prequel. The untitled Avatar: The Last Airbender RPG will take place ‘thousands of years’ before Aang’s journey, letting you play as an ‘all-new, never-before-seen Avatar.’ Nevertheless, series connoisseurs should feel welcome as it’ll still feature familiar elements, especially in the story department.
Doug Rosen, SVP, Games and Emerging Media at Paramount believes this decision will help the team expand ‘the world-building.’ Fans can also experience the fresh, new content in a ‘completely immersive way.’ Speaking to IGN, the development team at Paramount and Saber is also confident it’ll deliver a captivating vibrant world with ‘dynamic combat’ together with companions.
“We know loyal fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender have been eager for more stories that bring them into the universe of the show, and through gaming, we’re able to expand the world-building and allow fans to experience the new content in a completely immersive way.”
As series enthusiasts know, this won’t be this cartoon’s first foray into the gaming world. According to the Avatar: The Last Airbender wiki, there have been at least 9 console games and 2 mobile RPGs. One of them is The Burning Earth, which was infamously known as the easiest Xbox 360 game to farm Gamerscore with. It also doesn’t count dozens of Flash mini-games on Nickelodeon’s websites and a handful of crossover releases like Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl or Fortnite skins.
Saber Interactive itself is mostly known for its work as a support developer for many popular games such as Halo: The Master Chief Collection. But recently, the studio has been put in the spotlight thanks to the success of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. The team also previously collaborated with Paramount Game Studios to develop the World War Z game adaptation.
The AAA Avatar: The Last Airbender RPG project is still in the early development phase, with minimal details. But the team promises it will be ‘the biggest video game in franchise history.’
