When Torchlight and Hob developer Runic Games was shut down last year, the developer said: "For those that love the Torchlight series, there will be some news coming." Today, Perfect World Entertainment and Echtra Games have announced Torchlight Frontiers—a new shared world action RPG and the "next evolution" of the Torchlight series.
Echtra Games is of course led by Runic Games co-founder Max Schaefer, and Frontiers takes place within the same universe as the series' previous games. Cue some cutesy, but determined, goblin hordes in this announcement trailer:
Details beyond that are pretty slim, but Perfect World says Frontiers "combines the heart of the beloved Torchlight series with a shared, persistent and dynamically generated world."
Players will band together with pals and devoted pets, so promises the publisher, as they hack and slash its world apart. You'll visit ancient ruins, lost civilisations, and cavernous dungeons—doing battle with dangerous creatures along the way.
"Additional details about Torchlight Frontiers will be revealed at a later date," says Perfect World. Max Schaefer, on the other hand, says this:
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. 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.
With that, I guess we'll find out more about Torchlight Frontiers later this month. Those interested in beta sign ups should visit its official website, which says we'll "rekindle the flame" in 2019. Here's a handful of screens:
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