Game trailers come in all shapes and sizes: Some offer detailed deep dives into key mechanics, or show a vertical slice of what one can expect out of a game. However, the video game industry has a tendency to headline a game's announcement not with gameplay, but rather cinematic, pre-rendered trailers. Typically these trailers are meant to communicate core ideas or themes behind a title, but are often hardly representative of the final product.
When The Outer Worlds 2 was announced during Xbox's E3 showcase, it ultimately fell into the latter category of game trailers. However, unlike other cinematic first looks, a great sense of self-awareness permeated The Outer Worlds 2's reveal. It wasn't trying to convince viewers to commit to a pre-order, nor persuade them that this upcoming game would be an artistic masterpiece. Rather, it looks like the folks at Obsidian simply wanted to state the fact that The Outer Worlds 2 is in development in the most absurd way possible: through a long-winded reveal trailer that parodies the same type of trailer one has come to expect at shows like E3.
The Outer Worlds 2 Trailer: An Overview
The Outer Worlds 2's trailer features an old, wise-sounding narrator who guides viewers throughout its roughly 90-second runtime. It begins by showcasing a wide-open world dense in flora and fauna, followed up by the sudden appearance of a large monster whose sole purpose is "to break the serenity." After the monster lets out a beastly roar, the scene then cuts to warring soldiers firing guns in slow motion to the rhythm of the score. Next up, bright lens flares and heavy bass drops accompany a flyover of a canyon before the camera finally stops to show the back of the protagonist. The camera then zooms out, taking the audience up high into space as the title card is revealed.
It sounds like a run-of-the-mill game trailer, but where The Outer Worlds 2's E3 2021 reveal differs from other high-profile first looks is its honesty. Throughout the trailer, the narrator effectively deconstructs several tropes that tend to be featured in cinematic game trailers. It's all a hilarious effort to convince viewers that a game will be cool, epic, or otherwise impressive, despite such promotional materials typically lacking actual gameplay footage to back those claims up.
The Outer Worlds 2: Managing Expectations
Through this commentary, viewers are essentially told to not get excited for The Outer Worlds 2 based on footage that doesn't represent the final game, at least for right now. So then, one might be left to wonder: What is the point of this trailer?
It's simple. The trailer exists to tell the viewer that The Outer Worlds 2 is coming, and that's it. It doesn't make the mistake that several other large releases such as Anthem or Watch Dogs have made. Both are games that previously set impossibly high expectations upon their reveals that the final products simply couldn't live up to.
Instead, The Outer Worlds 2's announcement does the opposite. It conveys that there is no solid foundation on which viewers could possibly base their expectations on. It teases possible elements, but it also explicitly advises those watching that things could change at any time. It exists more to inform fans, rather than try to persuade them, which makes this incredibly absurd trailer a refreshingly authentic and honest reveal. That can't be said for a lot of game announcements, especially during E3.
The Outer Worlds 2 is currently in development.