There's no doubt that James Cameron's Avatar franchise has become bigger than anyone anticipated before Christmas 2009. The 'cultural relevance' discussion has repeatedly been rendered moot, with The Way of Water and re-releases of the original ruling the box office. Now, as Avatar: Fire and Ash goes for broke, Pandora is getting a massive refresh in video games with Avatar: Frontier of Pandora's latest update and expansive story DLC.
Even two years ago, right as it launched, we thought Frontiers of Pandora was a great game — not just worthy of the IP — but also a much-needed expansion of its themes and the rich, vibrant world. By putting the Na'vi at the very center of the story and exploring the matters of colonialism and cultural erasure up close (and without the many limits which come with a movie's runtime), Cameron's sci-fi universe gained an edge which the more demanding moviegoers had been looking for since 2009.
