During The Game Awards 2025, developer Archetype Entertainment and publisher Wizards of the Coast announced that EXODUS, the studio's debut game, is targeting an early 2027 launch window on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S and X. Ahead of the event, Wizards of the Coast invited Wccftech and other press members for a presentation and subsequent Q&A. You can read our transcript of the interview here; on this page, we'll focus on the presentation.
EXODUS takes place in the far future, when humanity has had to migrate to the Omega Centauri globular cluster in the constellation Centaurus, approximately 16,000 light-years away from Earth. Astronomers will know it as the largest known globular cluster in our Milky Way galaxy, with a diameter of roughly 150 light-years. It is estimated to contain around 10 million stars, totaling a mass equivalent to 4 million solar masses, making it the most massive globular cluster in the Milky Way.
Humanity had to flee Earth at some point in the 23rd century due to an unspecified disaster that made the planet unlivable. They did so on massive arkships, embarking on an incredibly long journey that took around 640 human generations to complete. The first fleets started arriving in the Omega Centauri cluster around the year 18,000 (yes, that's not a mistype), beginning colonization of various worlds. Over the course of several millennia, multiple civilizations and empires rose and fell, until eventually a species of genetically modified human descendants, referred to as “Celestials,” emerged as the dominant force above all others. Around the year 41,500, a previously lost human fleet arrives in the Malakbel system and establishes a settlement on the moon Lidon. This settlement is built upon the remains of an extinct alien civilization.
The studio, based in Austin, Texas, and founded in January 2020 by former BioWare veterans James Ohlen and Chad Robertson, spent a considerable amount of time early on fleshing out this immense timeline. There's even a spin-off novel titled EXODUS: The Archimedes Engine already available for purchase, written by Peter F. Hamilton. With the lore, Archetype's goal was to honor the tradition of hard science fiction while keeping it accessible enough that players can easily grasp it. One example is Time Dilation, which they previously discussed as a core mechanic of the setting and also a kind of additional antagonist in the game. This is, of course, also a real-life phenomenon and one of the most significant nods to hard sci-fi. Simply put, it is impossible to travel faster than the speed of light. However, even traveling at sub-light speed, the faster you travel, the slower time advances for you. A journey may take only a few days from the perspective of the Traveler, but for everyone else, five years or more may have passed.
The game's main character, who can be customized to be male or female, is called Jun Aslan. The protagonist begins as a lowly salvager, struggling each day to survive on the aforementioned moon, Lidon. However, Aslan has a hidden lineage connection with the powerful Traveler dynasty of the Aslan, and also some genetic modifications that enable interaction with Celestial technology. Fully rediscovering the Aslan heritage will be part of the hero's journey in EXODUS, with the ultimate objective of preventing the total destruction of Lidon.
The impending doom is caused by a technovirus called the Rot, which affects all technology and machinery. Since that is essential to make Lidon livable, its decay would spell the end for the planet. Of course, there are various factions all trying to solve the crisis in their own ways, and Jun may come into conflict with some of them. The main character also eventually meets some Celestials; even among them, there are different factions, some of which are less hostile toward humanity than others.
During the presentation, the developers said they'd like players to become 'co-authors' of the experience in every area, from the narrative to the gameplay. When it comes to the former, there will be a lot of very difficult moral choices, and then the player must also deal with the Time Dilation factor, which means the game actually unfolds over the course of generations. Whenever Jun goes to a faraway planet to search for an artifact, a lot of time will have passed upon the return home. The choices will impact Jun's reputation, which determines how the protagonist is viewed by others. Over time, Jun will also build up influence, which can be used (or not) in various ways.
When it comes to combat, the team has embraced a 'play it your way' style. It is possible to be stealthy as well as go guns blazing. Just like in Mass Effect, Jun will recruit companions of various ilk, from punk mech pilots to genetically engineered savants and even an Awakened octopus in a mech suit who brings some comic relief. Archetype said that the whole party is effectively the loadout, so you'll choose skills and synergies based on your preferred play style. The developers attempted to create a diverse cast of characters from both narrative and gameplay perspectives. Human companions are also romanceable, but the Awakened octopus (who is called Salt, by the way) just isn't into humans, apparently.
As previously announced, Jun is mentored by a mysterious fellow Traveler called C.C. Orlev, who's going to be voiced by Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey. He'll help the main character at critical times, but he's also the 'Voice of the People' on Jun's homeworld, and Archetype teased that Orlev will surface in those gameplay segments in particularly fun ways.
There's still more than a year left before the game's debut. Still, Archetype seems finally ready to talk more about EXODUS. We expect to see a lot more, including extended gameplay, unveiled in 2026.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
