French game developer and publisher DON’T NOD has announced Aphelion, a cinematic third-person action-adventure title scheduled for release in 2026. The game, which is being developed internally, will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5. Its debut trailer premiered during the Xbox Games Showcase.
Set in a near-future world facing environmental collapse, Aphelion follows astronaut Ariane Montclair, who finds herself stranded on the distant planet Persephone following a crash landing. As she struggles to survive and reunite with her injured partner Thomas Cross, players will explore an emotional narrative framed by a desperate search for hope beyond Earth. The game features a mix of exploration, environmental storytelling, traversal mechanics, and stealth gameplay.
Developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), Aphelion seeks to ground its depiction of space travel in real-world science and values. Ariane and Thomas are portrayed as ESA astronauts participating in the fictional Hope 01 mission, with the agency’s involvement informing the scientific framework of the game.
Creative Director Florent Guillaume described the project as a significant step for the studio.
Aphelion is a game we’re very passionate about, something we’re really pushing ourselves creatively on. 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’s Partnership and Brand Licensing Officer, highlighted the synergy between science and storytelling:
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.
