Don’t Nod’s next game is cinematic space adventure Aphelion, developed in collaboration with the ESA
Aphelion is being developed in partnership with the European Space Agency
French developer and publisher Don’t Nod has announced cinematic third-person action-adventure Aphelion.
Set for release in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and Game Pass, Steam, and PlayStation 5, the game’s debut trailer premiered at the Xbox Games Showcase.
“Set in a near-future where Earth is on the brink of collapse, Aphelion is an emotional journey to the edge of our Solar System to survey a planet that may be humanity’s last hope,” reads a synopsis for the game.
“As astronaut Ariane Montclair, crash landed on the newly discovered Persephone, players must brave harsh landscapes, master survival tools, and navigate reality-bending phenomena on a desperate mission to reunite with her wounded partner, Thomas Cross.”
Aphelion is developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA). In the game, Ariane and Thomas are both ESA astronauts, part of the fictional Hope 01 mission.
“Aphelion is a game we’re very passionate about, something we’re really pushing ourselves creatively on,” said Florent Guillaume, Aphelion’s creative director. “We’re excited to share more of DON’T NOD’s first human story in space, and to be able to do it in collaboration with the European Space Agency is incredibly exciting and special for us.”
Nadia Lüders, ESA partnership & brand licensing officer, commented: “For fifty years, ESA has combined rigorous space science with the boundless imagination of science fiction to explore solutions to our planet’s greatest challenges. Aphelion captures that spirit – where research meets imaginative vision – to inspire the next generation to carry Europe’s space ambition into the future.”
