With the Avatar franchise about to grow a little bigger thanks to Ubisoft, many fans are likely wondering when the latest game adaptation will take place. Here’s when Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora takes place in the series’ timeline.
When Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Takes Place in the Timeline
It might shock many (myself included) to learn this, but James Cameron’s Avatar has a remarkably in-depth history that grounds the events of the movies, games, books, and comics. Seriously, if you look up the official timeline, it dates back to the 9th Century BC and even earlier, with some period that’s simply classified as 12 M.A., which is when the Na’vi first began evolving. Of course, most of that stuff is all fluff, so let’s zero in on the more tangible moments of the franchise. The bulk of the Na’vi and the RDA’s story takes place in the 22nd Century, and Frontiers of Pandora is no different.
Related: How Long Did It Take to Make Avatar 2: The Way of Water?
Massive Entertainment’s open-world game is set in 2169, 15 years after the original Avatar movie, the events of which are confirmed to have taken place over a series of months in 2154. As a more recent touchstone, Frontiers of Pandora is set a year before Avatar: The Way of Water, the latest installment in the film series.
The previous Avatar video game adaptation, which was also developed by Ubisoft and released in 2009 to coincide with the movie, was set two years before the first movie in 2154. That may seem like a big deal, but in the years since its launch, it’s been confirmed as a non-canon entry in the story. This is probably for the best, considering it was largely the exact same story as the first movie, only with different characters.
What You Need to Know About the Avatar Story
Considering the massive success of these movies, it’s actually surprising how little context is required to fully grasp Avatar‘s story. Regardless, let’s quickly summarize the key points.
All you really need to know is that humans have burned up Earth and have developed the necessary technology to escape into the stars. As we begin exploring other planets, we stumble upon a rock we decide to call Pandora, promptly setting up shop in an attempt to colonize it. The biggest discovery on the planet is a unique mineral hilariously dubbed Unobtanium. An organization known as the Resource Development Administration arrives to begin mining it, but things don’t go as planned.
Related: How Much Did It Cost to Make Avatar 2: The Way of Water?
It turns out that Pandora is inhabited by an intelligent species known as the Na’vi, and they HATE what humans are doing to their world. The RDA tries to settle things “peacefully” by continuing the colonization efforts, but things quickly sour, and war breaks out. The first movie sees a soldier by the name of Jake Sully stepping into the titular Avatar, a Na’vi body that has his brain beamed into it, allowing him to better communicate with the locals. Long story short, he falls in love, decides he likes Na’vi more than people, and leads a massive rebellion against the RDA. Jake opts to stay with the Omatikaya clan and eventually takes over as their leader.
15 years later, in The Way of Water, the Na’vi and RDA are still wary of one another, but the war has largely come to an end. Tensions have eased because most of the humans, aka Sky People, have left Pandora. Unfortunately, a sequel needs bigger conflict, so under the new leadership of Frances Ardmore, the RDA returns to Pandora with an even bigger fleet of weapons, soldiers, and new technology. War reignites, and Jake Sully’s home is burned to the ground, forcing him and his family to flee east to the Metkayina, who largely live within and alongside the ocean. The RDA follows them, a massive battle breaks out, many Na’vi die, and at the end of it all, Jake vows to continue battling the humans.
That’s effectively where the timeline ends for now, but Cameron has promised that he’s working on several more movies to further the overall narrative. When it comes to Frontiers of Pandora, don’t worry about reading all the supplemental material, like the comics and novels. Based on what Ubisoft has revealed, players will be taking on the role of a Na’vi who was abducted by the RDA and brainwashed. It’s an entirely original story, and whether any established characters show up remains unknown. If that’s the case, I have to imagine they’ll be pulled from the movies, and so as long as you’ve seen both of them, you should be good.
