Video game publisher Maximum Entertainment has confirmed the development of an Avatar: The Last Airbender fighting game and fans are wondering if it will be 2D, 3D, on consoles, or something else entirely.
Avatar: The Last Airbender has enjoyed a revival as of late. The upcoming Netflix series already has fans cautiously excited, even though the scars of the M Night Shyamalan movie from years past still ache for them. Even so, almost two decades have passed since Avatar: The Last Airbender first aired, and fans still want more from the universe.
On top of the upcoming Netflix series, video game publisher Maximum Entertainment announced on February 15, that it is developing a fighting game set in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Although few official details are known, notable figures in the fighting game community may have some knowledge about the upcoming fighter.
Will Avatar: The Last Airbender get a 2D fighting game?
It is unknown what kind of fighting game Avatar: The Last Airbender will be. Many are hopeful for a 2D fighting game in the same vein as the aging Dragon Ball FighterZ or Guilty Gear Strive, and that’s perhaps the most likely possibility.
Six-time EVO Champion Dominique “SonicFox” McLean made some observations that could hint at the game’s nature. He pointed out that Maximum Games owns the rights to 2D fighting games Them’s Fightin’ Herds and Diesel Legacy. Maximum Entertainment notably employs Mike Zaimont, the creator of the indie darling fighting game series Skullgirls. These games are more welcome at EVO than other Nickelodeon fighting games, such as Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2.
However, Zaimont’s presence raised concerns for FGC fans. Skullgirls publisher Autumn Games and Skullgirls Mobile developer Hidden Variable cut ties with Zaimont after several sexual harassment allegations came to light. Lab Zero eventually dissolved as a result.
Many of those same developers continued to work on Skullgirls under the new studio Future Club. Mike Zaimont’s involvement with the Avatar: The Last Airbender fighting game is unknown.
When is the release date for Avatar: The Last Airbender fighting game?
The Avatar: The Last Airbender fighting game will be available for early access in 2025.
With most of Maximum Entertainment’s fighting game branch being 2D-focused and Avatar: The Last Airbender’s reputation as one of the best-animated shows of all time, a 2D fighting game is likely. If true, it would be a departure from previous games set in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe, most of which were 3D action-adventure games.
No details about how long the game has been in development were disclosed. With a 2025 release window, that leaves the developers only a year to get the fighting game to a stable release for early access. Their other upcoming fighting game, Diesel Legacy, is slated for a 2024 release, which may explain the Avatar game’s 2025 release window. Either way, FGC and Avatar fans are eyeing the game’s future.