The official announcement of the "Strange Life" group! Cooperate with the European Space Agency to develop new space works

　　French development team DON'T NOD, famous for "Strange Life", released its new action-adventure work "Aphelion" (temporary translation, Arielion) in the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 live broadcast earlier today. The game is scheduled to be available on PC (Steam), PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2026.

The story is set in 2060, with the fictional ninth planet "Persephone", a frozen planet located on the edge of the solar system and has never been involved. The earth is no longer suitable for living due to environmental deterioration, and the future of mankind seems to be limited to this frozen star.

In order to explore its habitability, the European Space Agency (ESA) sent two top astronauts, Ariane Montclair and Thomas Cross, to form the "Hope 01" team to carry out the most important planetary exploration mission in human history.

　　However, shortly after the mission began, the spacecraft crashed for unknown reasons and the two were forced to separate. Players will control Ariane and embark on a lonely journey across the frozen wasteland to find the injured and lost partner Thomas, while completing this mission that concerns the future of mankind.

　　This game plays a combination of action, stealth, survival and exploration elements, and is carried out from a third-person cinematic perspective. Players will use Pathfinder, oxygen cylinders and hook claws and other tools to travel through the alien environment where deadly storms are raging and terrain is unpredictable.

According to the official introduction, this planet is by no means empty, "are some kind of existence hidden under the ice layer". In a crisis-ridden environment, the test of survival and trust is constantly approaching.

　"You must find ways to survive, find each other, and complete tasks in an entirely unknown environment. Travel through breathtaking alien terrain, avoid lurking threats, and uncover the secrets buried deep under the ice."

　　In addition to the challenges of physiological limits, the game also focuses on the psychological tension between characters. Ariane and Thomas once had a deep but broken relationship. In the isolated situation of the frozen world, past emotions and unfinished relationships became one of the core driving the plot.

The game name "Aphelion" means "averpool", which symbolizes the farthest moment in the planet's orbit, and also symbolizes the extremely lonely and helpless situation in the setting of this game, echoing the core of the story: when humans are far away from hope, they still do not give up looking for light.

　　DON'T NOD revealed that this work was developed in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA), bringing highly realistic details of cosmic exploration, including spacecraft design, astronaut equipment and planetary science, etc., combined with the narrative and emotional portrayal that the team is good at, making this journey to the frozen planet more immersive.

　　Aphelion is expected to be released on PC (Steam), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2026.