Another animated series is apparently getting the fighting game treatment. Maximum Games announced during their 2024 roadmap presentation that they have entered into a partnership with Paramount Consumer Products and are currently working on a new Avatar: The Last Airbender game.
During the showcase, Maximum Entertainment CEO Christina Seelye walked viewers through what the company is working on for this year and provided previews of some of their upcoming products. In a surprising reveal, Seelye announced that part of their roadmap includes a “competitive multiplayer fighting game” for the beloved Avatar: The Last Airbender series.
“Finally, we are thrilled to announce that we have entered into a partnership with Paramount Consumer Products to develop a competitive multiplayer fighting game set in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe,” the CEO said. “This competitive fighting game is set to release into early access in 2025. We are thrilled to be bringing this project to life and we will have so much more to share on this game in the future.”
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American animated fantasy action television series that first released back in 2005 and was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. The show is centered around the adventures of 12-year-old Aang, the current Avatar and last survivor of the Air Nomads, and his friends Katara, Sokka, and Toph, as they strive to end the Fire Nation’s war against the other nations and defeat Fire Lord Ozai before he takes over the world.
The franchise is extremely popular thanks to its initial series and several other forms of media (including comic books). It is certainly an interesting choice for a fighting game, though, we currently don’t know the specifics of what kind of fighter it will actually be.
Though Avatar: The Last Airbender isn’t technically an anime, some definitely see it as closely related due to the animation style and some of the elements found throughout the show. When it comes to anime and fighting games, those who follow the genre know that the majority of the time a big, successful animated series (most frequently anime) gets a fighting game, it is very often created in the “arena” style.
Arena fighting games are those that allow the player to move around in 3D and freely, often taking place in a set battlefield and using things like items, other assist characters, and techniques to help you gain the advantage against your opponent. For all intents and purposes, arena fighting games are usually considered to not be traditionally competitive and are usually catered more toward casual audiences.
So, whenever we here in the competitive fighting game space hear about a new fighting game being made based on an anime (or animated series), the first question everyone asks is: Will it be an arena fighter?
Unfortunately, we do not know the answer to that question just yet. However, the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender title is being described as a “competitive multiplayer fighting game,” which… sounds like it could be a more traditional fighter akin to maybe Dragon Ball FighterZ, though the word “multiplayer” is a little bit concerning.
Multiplayer could simply mean player vs. player and/or refer to something like lobbies where multiple players can join up and slug it out. It could also mean that Avatar is set to be a team-based fighter, similar to something like Multi-Versus where two-player teams can take on other two-player teams and have tools and resources to actually aid their partner in battle.
However, it isn’t often that we see traditional fighting games described as “multiplayer” despite them technically being multiplayer.
The word “competitive” seems to suggest that this fighting game will fall more into what the fighting game community knows and loves, and it’s possible it could end up being something we see on the eSports scene eventually. At this point in time, though, we just cannot say for sure.
Via Gematsu.