Even though it came out all the way back in 2009, Avatar’s world is still technically impressive, and that fidelity is going to be reflected in the game Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Announced at Ubisoft’s Forward E3 press conference with a technically impressive trailer, much of the game is still a mystery. However, Ubisoft has put out a new trailer, and while it doesn’t talk about gameplay or the game’s story, it does detail the changes that had to be made to Ubisoft’s Snowdrop engine to make the game visually stunning.
According to Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora‘s technical art director Sebastian Lindoff, some “major upgrades and big improvements” had to be made to the Snowdrop Engine, which has previously powered both of Tom Clancy’s The Division games, plus Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle and South Park: The Fractured But Whole, among others. The result of these upgrades is a vast and varied Pandora, with “deep, dense jungles on the ground” and “grand vistas high up in the skies.”
The Snowdrop engine’s microdetail system has also been put to work, fleshing out every scene with thousands of different assets. According to senior technical artist Kunal Luthra, that means there will be more “highly detailed environments for Pandora.”
Ray tracing will also play a big part in the visuals of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. With ray tracing on, the light from bioluminescent plants and animals will reflect around areas realistically, and lighting overall will give the game a more photorealistic look.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is set to launch sometime in 2022 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Stadia, and Amzaon Luna.
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