NickelodeonTie-in video games are a big risk. If it goes well, then you can make the next Goldeneye, but if it goes badly, then you end up with a bunch of Atari E.T. games getting buried in a mass grave in New Mexico. With so much at stake, they’re often projects that are highly anticipated by fans, which makes them all the more devastating if they fall through. A major-scale project set in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender seemed poised to put the franchise alongside Star Wars and James Bond, but it’s now been shelved indefinitely, just before the franchise gets even bigger. Ice Wars would have focused on an Avatar from the distant past, thousands of years before the show. | NickelodeonBack in 2024, IGN announced a new game in development from Saber Interactive set in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was given the working title Ice Wars and was reportedly set thousands of years in the past, focusing on an all-new Avatar. Players could “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.”However, IGN now reports that the project is no longer in development. Paramount has recently merged with Skydance, and that meant a merger of the two companies’ game studios. Now, Paramount Games Studio, the newly-named joint studio, will not continue work on the game. There is no shortage of Avatar video games, but most are Wii tie-in titles from when the series began airing on Nickelodeon. However, new games are still coming out — Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is still scheduled for its (delayed) July 23 release. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is still happening even if Ice Wars (working title) isn’t. | PM Studios, Inc.Projects fall through all the time because of corporate mergers just look at all the canceled Warner Bros. projects that happed after the company merged with Discovery, including some that were completely finished and ready to go. However, another Paramount franchise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, had a game in development with one company, but after the merger, it simply moved to another game studio. For whatever reason, Ice Wars wasn’t given the same treatment. It’s a sad moment for Avatar fans, and at such a crucial time for the franchise. The second season of Netflix’s high-budget live-action adaptation is currently set for release on June 25, so while there won’t be a major video game soon, there will at least be something to keep this fantasy world alive even after 21 years. Avatar: The Last Airbender is now streaming on Netflix.