Bethesda’s ‘Rage 2’ officially announced, gameplay coming May 15

Late last week, game publisher Bethesda began posting images on its social media channels teasing the announcement of something related to Id Software’s game Rage. Today, the news was made official with a teaser trailer.

The teaser is a mix of live-action footage and pre-rendered scenes, and it’s an extended version of a short live-action teaser previously leaked online. It presents a range of unsavory post-apocalyptic figures lifting weights and dancing as Andrew W.K.’s “Ready to Die” blares. One particularly large outlaw swings a sword to the ground and appears to be wearing wings held together by concrete. There is quite a bit more color than we expected, with hopefully points to a more irreverent, tongue-in-cheek game. This would seem fitting for Id, as the studio took a similar approach with the recent Doom.

The game is being developed — at least in part — by Avalanche Studios, the company behind the recent Mad Max game.

Bethesda won’t be waiting until E3 to share gameplay from Rage 2 with the world. The official gameplay reveal will be held on May 15 at 10 a.m. ET.

It has been nearly seven years since the release of the original Rage, which combined Id Software’s classic first-person shooting action with driving and more world-building than we typically see from the studio. Following its release, the developer shifted its focus back to the Doom series, plugging away at the unreleased Doom 4 before eventually rebooting the franchise with 2016’s Doom. It was a critical and commercial success, which makes Id’s decision to return to a less-acclaimed game rather peculiar.

Bethesda does have experience with improving games for their sequels, however. The 2009 game Wolfenstein — developed by Raven Software prior to Bethesda gaining the series’ rights — was followed by the excellent Wolfenstein: The New Order. Similarly, the underwhelming The Evil Within was significantly enhanced in its sequel, with more creative environments and a better story.

Prior to Bethesda’s own teases, Rage 2‘s existence was leaked by a listing on the Walmart Canada website. The listing also included unannounced Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed games, as well as Gears of War 5 and Just Cause 4. The listing’s accuracy can’t otherwise by verified, and with Forza Horizon 5 appearing in it before Forza Horizon 4 was even announced, it’s best to still take it with a grain of salt.

Updated on May 14, 2018: Added official confirmation from Bethesda.