Avatar: The Last Airbender AAA RPG Announced in 2024 Is Dead
The long-anticipated Avatar: The Last Airbender AAA RPG, which was first revealed in October 2024, has officially been scrapped. According to IGN, the project was set to be developed by Saber Interactive, the studio behind Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, with a planned release window of 2027 or 2028. At the time, details were sparse, but the game was described as "the biggest video game in franchise history," with a story developed in "close collaboration" with Avatar Studios.
With a working title of Ice Wars, the RPG would have placed players in the role of an "all-new, never-before-seen Avatar," taking place thousands of years before the original series. The project promised a vibrant world where players could master all four elements, engage in dynamic combat with companions, and face the challenges of maintaining balance across the world.
Paramount, the owner of the Avatar franchise, had expressed excitement about the project at the time, stating: “Saber Interactive has a proven track record in bringing IP-based games to life, and we are excited to co-fund this AAA title alongside them and let fans experience this world first-hand.”
Unfortunately, the project never moved beyond the announcement phase. Now, two years later, Shawn Kittelsen, senior vice president and head of creative and production at Paramount Games Studio, confirmed that the game was never in production. This revelation came after the recent merger of Paramount and Skydance, which created a unified gaming division under Paramount Games Studio.
The Fate of Avatar RPG in Light of the Merger
Kittelsen explained that the Avatar RPG was not part of the current development pipeline when the new studio was established. "That's a project that wasn't in production when we came in," he told IGN. "We didn't start this iteration of Paramount Games until last fall, after the Paramount Skydance merger. So that game was not in production."
He also noted that the previous structure of Paramount's gaming division was not as robust. "There were a lot of aspirations previously at Paramount, but there wasn't necessarily the conviction or the support, and it wasn't a separate division," Kittelsen said. "Games was a sub-department within consumer products. Now we are a business unit and we're accountable for driving revenue and building games, and we have a larger team and more support behind us including the fact that Skydance came with two game studios ready to play."
This new structure has led to a more strategic approach to game development. "We're taking a different approach to games and wanting to see things through and make sure that anything that we announce we're prepared to launch," Kittelsen added.
In contrast to the Avatar RPG, Paramount Games has chosen to continue development on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, a project previously handled by Black Forest Games. The studio decided to partner with PlatinumGames to bring the game to life. "There is a deeper conviction and a larger investment being made in that title that we are going to ensure that we drive to launch," Kittelsen said.
For now, the Avatar franchise has a different game in the works — Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, which is set to be published by Paramount Games. However, the future of a Avatar RPG remains uncertain. "Doesn't mean you won't get a AAA Avatar game at some point, but it might come in a different iteration," Kittelsen concluded.
