More than 20 years after the release of the original Outcast, the game’s sequel is finally on the horizon. THQ Nordic and Appeal Studios (with members of the original team) announced that Outcast 2: A New Beginning is, in fact, real and coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The news was revealed during THQ’s 10th Anniversary event, though no release date was shared.
The game takes place 20 years after the events of the first game, something the developers very much intended to coincide with the relative gap between the sequel’s announcement in 2001 and now. This is a new game, though — the first iteration of Outcast 2 was canceled in 2010 — and while it may harken to a bygone era, it’s very much made with modern platforms in mind.
Protagonist Cutter Slade returns in what Appeal calls “a rich single-player experience.” So while it does sound like from the trailer that Slade is working alongside the Talan of Adelpha to liberate the planet, it appears players won’t be able to do so with others.
The pre-alpha in-game trailer showcases a beautiful world full of diverse life and environments, but it also shows a darker side, one being exploited and subjugated. Slade has a remedy for that, shooting and cutting through the planet’s invaders like a one-man army. It also appears he’ll have a few abilities at hand, like a shield slam, to help him along the way.
Appeal said that Outcast 2 will have an expansive narrative, with a “Self-ironic, wholesome take.” Though it’s unclear exactly how players will be able to influence the story, the story will be “non-linear … with dynamic plot progress based on player actions.”
Outcast 2‘s announcement is surely a pleasant surprise for series fans, who have gone too long without a proper sequel. Outcast: Second Contact is a remake of the original game and was released in 2017. Stay tuned for more in the coming months.
