A new game set in the Torchlight universe has just been announced. Indeed, Perfect World Entertainment have confirmed that the newest development studio in its camp, Echtra Games, Inc. is developing Torchlight Frontiers. The latest entry in the franchise will offer something slightly different, however. Despite this, the shared-world action-RPG does feature elements of what made the original Torchlight games so popular. Torchlight Frontiers is due to release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2019.
This is undoubtedly great news, as the original developers of Torchlight, Runic, shut down around nine months ago. It’s awesome to see such a short turnaround between releases. What’s even better, is that plenty of the folks who created Torchlight are a part of Echtra Games. To unveil the game, Perfect World Entertainment released an announcement trailer, which you can watch below:
As you can see in the announcement trailer, the series appears to have been given a slight visual overhaul. Brighter colors and altered character designs speak of something a little different, at least. Speaking about the game in more detail, Yoon Im (senior vice president of publishing at Perfect World Entertainment) explains that the game is in good hands. “Max [Schaefer] has put together an all-star team of developers, and we continue to be amazed by the sheer level of talent and wealth of experience that they bring to Torchlight Frontiers. We’re proud to have Echtra Games as a part of the company.”
Torchlight Frontiers Shared World: What Does it Mean for the Series?
One of the main new ways in which Torchlight Frontiers is evolving compared to the original games is in its shared world. “Evolving the Torchlight universe into a shared world has always been a goal for the franchise, and I’m excited that we’re finally able to make it a reality,” explains Max Schaefer, CEO of Echtra Games. Indeed, Torchlight Frontiers will feature a living, breathing, dynamically generated world. You’ll still be teaming up, hacking and slashing enemies and collecting loot. Torchlight Frontiers is definitely still a Torchlight game, don’t worry.
“Torchlight Frontiers will be a living, breathing universe that will still feel uniquely Torchlight, while we add our own creative spin to the game. The team is building something truly special, and we can’t wait for fans to play it for the first time at Gamescom and PAX West.”
We can’t wait to learn more about Torchlight Frontiers. We’ll learn more about the game soon, however, as it will be playable for the first time at Gamescom between August 21-25 and PAX West between August 31-September 3. Hopefully, we’ll have a better idea of what Perfect World Entertainment mean exactly by a “shared world.” Color us intrigued.
