After first announcing the game back in 2017, a producer at Ubisoft Massive has confirmed that an Avatar game from the developers of the The Division franchise is still in the works at the studio. Gamers have been wondering just what the hold up has been for any news on the project. In truth, Ubisoft has been radio silent on the matter which led many to believe that it may have been shelved in favor of pursuing other priorities. Case in point, Tom Clancy's The Divison 2 has continued to be tweaked and expanded by Massive.
Most recently the team revealed Warlords of New York, a massive expansion for The Division 2 that will return players to the setting of the first game. These sorts of undertakings are massive feats of development for the aptly named Ubisoft Massive, so seeing an Avatar title pushed aside seems plausible. Add in the fact that Disney has since acquired the rights to Avatar during its acquisition of 21st Century Fox and the entire situation becomes much murkier. Despite all of this, it sounds like the game is moving forward.
During a recent preview event for the aforementioned The Division 2: Warlords of New York in San Francisco, Screen Rant had the opportunity to speak with Jesper Karabanov, a producer at Ubisoft Massive, about the team's Avatar title. When asked if the game was still in development, Karabanov stated, "Yes, but I can't speak about it. I can't talk about it."
While the response from Karabanov doesn't provide much detail into the specifics behind why Ubisoft has gone radio silent on the previously announced Avatar game, at least gamers now know that something is still happening with the project. Given that Ubisoft hasn't shied away from developing licensed properties like South Park in the past – all while staying painfully true to the source material (much to the delight of fans) – many are sure to be expecting big things from the title. Given Ubisoft Massive's background in MMO-like romps, it would appear evident which direction the team will go with such a premise as Avatar. Still, that all remains to be seen.
With a packed 2020 release schedule ahead of Ubisoft, though, it may still be some time before the company is ready to show off the software. With Avatar 2 set to arrive in theaters on December 21, 2021, the most opportune window to release the game is coming up. Although, with more Avatar sequels set to arrive 2023, 2025, and 2027 it's possible that Ubisoft isn't all the concerned about dropping news before Avatar 2 releases.