For nearly two years, fans of the best-selling film seriesAvatarhave been able to explore the alien world of Pandora in Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment’s open-world, action adventure game,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Since its launch in December 2023, about a year afterAvatar: The Way of Water’s release,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorahas received two major updates in the form of two DLC expansions, The Sky Breaker and Secrets of the Spires. However, this DecemberFrontiers of Pandorawill receive a major, fan-requested update that may foretell potential updates for another Massive Entertainment game,Star Wars Outlaws.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s Upcoming Update Explained
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorafeatures many gameplay elements, from attacking RDA operatives and Pandoran wildlife with firearms and spears toriding Direhorses and Ikran into battleacross Pandora’s varied landscapes. Most ofFrontiers of Pandora’s gameplay is centered on first-person combat except for when players ride Direhorses and Ikran, which will switch to a third-person perspective. WithFrontiers of Pandoraadditionally allowing players’ Na’Vi to equip and customize various outfits and other cosmetics for battle, fans have long requested Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment to add a third-person toggle feature for standard movements and combat instead of having the perspective regulated to only mounts.
Massive Entertainment has heard these requests and Creative Director Omar Bouali announced thatAvatar: Frontiers of Pandorawill receive a free third-person updateon Friday, December 5. According to Bouali, the introduction of third-person for standard movements will let players “… experience Pandora from a whole new perspective at the push of a button.” To ensure this third-person update launches smoothly, Massive Entertainment is currently reworking certain controls, animations, and camera systems forFrontiers of Pandora. On top of the new third-person option, Massive Entertainment is also adding a New Game Plus mode toFrontiers of Pandora, allowing gamers to replay through the campaign with prior inventories and skills, face tougher foes, and unlock a new skill tree and gear.
Star Wars Outlaws’ Potential Future Updates
WithAvatar: Frontiers of Pandorareceiving a new third-person perspective and a New Game Plus mode in a few months, it could be suspected that Massive Entertainment may release a similar update for their other, more recent open-world title in the near future:Star Wars Outlaws. WhileOutlawsandFrontiers of Pandorareceived similarly mixed reviews,Star WarsOutlawswas considered to be a financial failureby Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot.
Despite lower-than-expected sales,Outlawshas still received attention from both Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment since its August 2024 debut, having received two DLC expansions similar toFrontiers of Pandorawith Wild Card and A Pirates Fortune. Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment will additionally launch aNintendo Switch 2 port ofStar Wars Outlawsin September.
WhileStar Wars Outlawsmay not have an as active or large playerbase compared toAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora, it does still have its fans with potentially more coming from the Nintendo Switch 2 who may appreciate more beneficial updates. UnlikeFrontiers of Pandora,Star Wars Outlawsis only played in third-person, but Massive Entertainment could release a first-person update forOutlaws, allowing players to take out rival criminal gangs more accurately and pilot theTrailblazerjust as Kay Vess naturally would.Star Wars Outlawsalso lacks a New Game Plus mode, but Massive Entertainment could add the mode to allow players to easily replay Kay Vess’ story and potentially add new enemies, weapons, and cosmetics.
Predicting the Release Window for Future Star Wars Outlaws Updates
Star Wars Outlawsis only nearing its one-year anniversary compared toAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s two-year anniversary, so Massive Entertainment may hold off on adding a first-person perspective and a New Game Plus mode toOutlawsuntil they gather data on player reception towardsAvatar’s update. If fan reception is positive toFrontiers of Pandora’s update and sales ofOutlawsdo well on the Nintendo Switch 2, Massive Entertainment may begin working on a first-person update forOutlawsin late 2025. While Massive Entertainment could wait forOutlaws’ near two-year anniversary to release such an update, they could instead release the update nearThe Mandalorian and Grogu’s May 2026 theatrical debutto help bring back fans and entice potential new ones.
