Project Athia is now Forspoken, an open-world action game "about a young woman in a beautiful but threatening world"

Square Enix's new-gen action game Project Athia has been officially titled Forspoken, and it's coming to PS5 and PC in 2022.

The publisher gave us a fresh look at Luminous Productions' new IP during its spring showcase earlier today. Actress Ella Balinska, who plays and voices protagonist Frey Holland, introduced the new name and offered a bit of context on the game's world. Forspoken is "a brand-new IP from Square Enix and Luminous Productions about a young woman in a beautiful but threatening world," she says. Forspoken has always been described as a story-focused game, so this little synopsis leaves plenty of blanks to be filled in.

"In Forspoken, you’ll play the role of Frey, as she enters Athia for the first time. This new land is stunningly beautiful, but also cruel and deadly," a new post on Square Enix's website reads. "Thrust into the dangerous land of Athia, the young hero must learn to harness magical abilities to survive. She'll face many fearsome foes and overcome treacherous trials on a journey unlike any other." 

A short clip released alongside the game's final name fleshed things out a bit more. In a short cutscene, Frey, accompanied by some sort of disembodied but talkative companion, hides from a dragon in some marble ruins. A few snippets of gameplay – or at least in-engine footage – follow, showing Frey sprinting, gliding, and parkouring effortlessly over the terrain and duking it out with giant bears and panthers. We also get another glimpse at Frey's ability to attack with roots and what looks like earth magic, which fits with the game's growing motif of weaponizing nature. 

Sony previously dated Forspoken for an early 2022 release on PS5 and PC, but its initial reveal came with some fine print keeping it off other consoles (namely Xbox Series X) for at least two years. 

Here are all the upcoming PS5 games planned for 2021 and beyond.