"AAA" action RPG set in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is coming

Avatar: The Last Airbender has been around since the mid-2000s, and there have been plenty of video games set in its colorful universe in that time, although none of them have broken the bank or moved the needle. A new game from Paramount Game Studios and Saber Interactive could help it break through.

The Last Airbender is set in a world largely inspired by Asian culture and history where certain people can control, or "bend," elements like earth, water, fire and air. The video game potential seems obvious: hit X to blast fire. Per IGN, the companies are calling this new game, which doesn't have a title yet, "the biggest video game in franchise history." I'm going to assume they mean in the history of The Last Airbender franchise and not franchises in general, but either way, it's good to aim high.

The main character of both the original Last Airbender animated series and Netflix's live-action adaptation is Aang, the latest iteration of the Avatar, the only person in this world who can bend all four elements. Most Last Airbender projects revolve around Aang, with the exception of sequel series The Legend of Korra. According to IGN, the new game will take place thousands of years before Aang's time and put players in the role of an "all-new, never-before-seen Avatar." Per Paramount and Saber, players "can expect to be immersed in a vibrant world, master all four elements, engage in dynamic combat alongside companions, and experience the challenges and decisions that come with being the keeper of balance in the world."

Saber Interactive has a pretty extensive resume, and is no stranger to turning a show or movie into a game; they worked on a World War Z game, for example, as well as a Ghostbusters game. They've also worked on titles like Mortal Kombat 1 as well as remasters of the Halo games. The new Last Airbender game will be made in consultation with Avatar Studios, which is founded by the guys behind the original animated series; they're currently working on new Last Airbender animated movies.

This game, whatever it's eventually called, will be a "AAA" game, which is basically a title the industry slaps on a game whenever it wants to denote a high level of polish and quality. Whether it earns that label is another matter entirely.

It can be difficult to suss out which film and TV franchises get the "AAA" video game treatment and which don't. For instance, there are lots of big-name games set in the Star Wars universe, the latest being Star Wars Outlaws, which came out in August. Other franchises have missed out; Game of Thrones was a huge deal, but it only ever got mobile games, as well as a solid choose-your-own-adventure-esque narrative game from Telltale.

The new Last Airbender game will be available for both PC and consoles, whenever it comes out.

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