Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is the second game to come from the Avatar movie franchise. But the first one was a direct tie-in to the 2009 movie. So what does that make Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, which arrived a year after The Way of Water? Is it canon?
Is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora canon?
Yes, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is canon. However, that’s not the full story. The game was confirmed to be canon by Frontiers of Pandora director Magnus Jansén, who said in an interview with IGN, “The Western Frontier is no less a part of the world of Avatar than what’s in the movies.”
The Western Frontier is the area of Pandora where Frontiers of Pandora takes place. It’s a new area that hasn’t been shown in the movies before. As an area that hasn’t been shown before, that means it includes new clans and creatures, too. So, while Frontiers of Pandora is officially canon, that doesn’t mean you’re going to recognize any Na’vi from the movies.
That’s not to say that parts of Frontiers of Pandora won’t be in future movies, though. In the same interview, Jansén also said that some elements of the game would be fun to revisit after watching the next Avatar movie, which suggests a deeper connection than just creating a new area of Pandora only for the game. It’s also worth noting that James Cameron’s production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, has assisted Frontiers of Pandora developer Massive Entertainment with making the game.
Whatever happens in future movies, Avatar fans can now enjoy visiting Pandora in a game that fits in with James Cameron’s vision of the Avatar universe.
