Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Announces Long-Requested Third-Person Mode

Ubisoft’s Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is getting a massive update that will change the game in a big way. The Avatar series is one of the most successful film franchises out there despite the fact there are only two movies to date. The first two films hold spots in the top 3 highest grossing movies of all-time and are renowned for their incredibly storytelling, innovative use of technology, and more. Ubisoft made an Avatar video game for the release of the 2009 film, but it wasn’t very well-received. However, they were given a second chance at immersing players in James Cameron’s world with the much better and far more impressive Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

However, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora got some heat for being a first-person shooter instead of a third-person game. Some people wanted something where you can see the Na’vi that you play as and felt that kind of gameplay would’ve fit better for that world. However, the first-person perspective created a far more immersive experience that let you feel the beauty of Pandora up close. Some compared the game to Far Cry because of its first-person perspective, but the two games play quite differently. Nevertheless, it’s clear that Ubisoft heard these comments and wanted to do something about it.

Ahead of the release of the trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third Avatar film, Ubisoft has announced that it will have a massive new update to Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora in December. The update will add a New Game+ mode which carries over all your skills and weapons to a new save file while also adding a new skill tree and gear. Additionally, Ubisoft has been working on a third-person mode for the game which will allow you to switch perspectives at will. Given this radically changes the game, Ubisoft is tweaking the animations and controls to make sure the game still feels good in third-person.

There are a few games that have done this. Grand Theft Auto V added a first-person mode in the Xbox One, PS4, and PC versions of the game and proved popular enough to carry into Red Dead Redemption 2. Resident Evil Requiem will also allow players to switch between first and third-person, so players will be able to play the game however they want. It seems like a lot of work, but it clearly allows the developer to cater to multiple kinds of players.

The new Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora update will release on December 5th, just weeks prior to the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash. There are also rumors of a “director’s cut” of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, but it’s unclear if that is still happening or if this new update would’ve been a part of that package.