Archetype Entertainment pulled back the curtain on Exodus during The Game Awards 2025, and the sci-fi RPG from former BioWare veterans is shaping up to be exactly what fans hoped for: Mass Effect meets Interstellar with some Indiana Jones-style adventure thrown in. The new trailer debuted December 11, revealing protagonist Jun Aslan, gameplay systems, companion relationships, and Matthew McConaughey’s mysterious mentor character C.C. Orlev.
In interviews following the reveal, creative leads Drew Karpyshyn and Chad Robertson confirmed Exodus launches early 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. They also addressed the burning question on everyone’s mind: yes, there are romances, but no, you cannot romance Salt, the intelligent octopus in a mech suit. Humans aren’t her type.
Time Dilation Makes Every Choice Devastating
What separates Exodus from other space RPGs is its central conceit: time dilation. When protagonist Jun Aslan embarks on interstellar missions traveling at near-light speeds, days for them become decades back home on the colony world Lidon. The people you leave behind age rapidly. Your romantic partner might move on. Your favorite ramen shop could close. Entire political landscapes shift while you’re gone for what feels like a long weekend.
This isn’t just narrative flavor. Time dilation fundamentally impacts how consequences work in Exodus. In most RPGs, you see the immediate results of your choices. Here, you witness the cascading effects across generations. The decision you make today might reshape your entire civilization 50 years from now when you return from your next mission.
Drew Karpyshyn, who wrote Mass Effect and Knights of the Old Republic, explained that this concept fascinated him since childhood. Unlike typical space games with instant travel or wormholes, Exodus commits to hard science fiction where interstellar journeys genuinely take years. That reality adds weight to every decision about which missions to undertake and who to bring along.
Chad Robertson, vice president and co-founder of Archetype, emphasized they want players to accept this as the natural state of their universe. You can’t control how much time passes based on the journey ahead, making decisions more meaningful because you’re gambling with time itself alongside your crew’s lives.
Meet Jun Aslan and the Celestial Mystery
You play as Jun Aslan, a descendant of a revered Traveler dynasty with the rare ability to control Celestial artifacts through a powerful gauntlet. Travelers are humanity’s best hope for survival against the Rot, a mysterious force threatening to erase everything humanity built on Lidon after fleeing a dying Earth.
The Celestials aren’t your typical ancient alien precursor race. They’re actually humanity’s descendants who evolved into something unrecognizable during the 40,000-year journey from Earth to the Centauri Cluster. Not all ark ships arrived simultaneously. Some took longer routes or encountered different phenomena, creating branches of transhumanity that advanced far beyond baseline humans.
This creates immediate tension between Jun’s recent-arrival humanity and these evolved post-humans who view themselves as something beyond humanity entirely. The Celestials left behind powerful technology scattered across worlds, and Jun’s ability to interface with these remnants through their Auspex power makes them uniquely qualified to recover artifacts that could save Lidon.
The Auspex ability functions as a kind of clairvoyance, letting Jun glimpse how their decisions will ripple through humanity’s future, sometimes thousands of years ahead. This connects directly to the time dilation theme, showing players not just immediate consequences but long-term civilizational impacts of their choices.
Jun wields the gauntlet in combat to manipulate environments offensively and creatively. The trailer shows them punching the ground to erupt earth beneath enemies, creating platforms to reach higher areas, and combining abilities for explosive results. Environmental puzzles, large-scale combat encounters, and massive boss fights feature prominently, including one spectacular moment where Jun fights a sentient robot bear bare-handed inside an arena.
Matthew McConaughey’s First Video Game Role
Matthew McConaughey voices C.C. Orlev, Jun’s mysterious mentor and guide who appears both as a physical presence and a holographic specter. The actor’s involvement goes beyond celebrity cameo territory. His character serves as the narrative thread connecting Jun to the larger mysteries of the Celestial artifacts and humanity’s struggle for survival.
Jun doesn’t fully understand how C.C. enters their life or what his true motivations are. C.C. provides guidance and wisdom from his legendary status as a Traveler, but questions linger about his past and whether his advice always serves Jun’s best interests or some larger agenda.
The Interstellar parallels are impossible to ignore. McConaughey’s role in that film dealt extensively with time dilation as a father watching his children age while he remained relatively unchanged. Exodus leans into similar emotional territory, with C.C. serving as a mentor who understands the psychological toll of watching loved ones slip through time while you remain frozen.
Archetype emphasized they’re using McConaughey’s authentic voice recording, not AI generation. This matters given McConaughey recently invested in an AI voice company. Everything players hear in Exodus comes directly from recording sessions with the actor, preserving the performance’s nuance and emotional depth.
Companions, Romance, and That Octopus
Exodus features multiple recruitable companions with distinct personalities, combat abilities, questlines, and relationship paths. The roster ranges from punk mech pilots to genetically engineered savants and even Salt, an Awakened octopus piloting her own mech suit.
Karpyshyn described the companions as “pretty thirsty,” suggesting romance options will be prominent and forward rather than slow-burn friendships that eventually blossom. This aligns with BioWare’s legacy of memorable companion romances that became as important to players as the main story.
Your choices about which companions to bring on missions carry extra weight due to time dilation. Leaving someone behind means they age decades while you’re gone. Relationships can fracture as the person you knew becomes someone fundamentally different. Romantic partners may have moved on. Friends might have died of old age. The companions you take with you remain synchronized to your timeline, creating strategic and emotional dimensions to party selection.
Salt the octopus became an instant fan favorite after her reveal. Unfortunately, Archetype confirmed she’s not romanceable. Humans aren’t her type. This tongue-in-cheek response to inevitable fan questions shows the team understands their audience while maintaining clear boundaries about inter-species relationships.
The companions bring more than romance options. They offer combat synergy, emotional depth, and personal stakes that tie into the overarching narrative. Their individual agendas and loyalties create potential conflicts, especially when time dilation means the world they knew no longer exists when they return from missions.
Choice-Driven Narrative Without Binary Morality
Exodus aims for nuanced decision-making rather than simple good versus evil paths. You can talk your way in or out of combat encounters, negotiate solutions, or resort to violence when diplomacy fails. The game tracks your choices and presents consequences that aren’t always obvious at first.
Karpyshyn emphasized they’re moving away from binary morality systems. Most people don’t think of themselves as purely good or evil. They make decisions based on circumstances, values, and what they believe serves the greater good even when those choices hurt others. Exodus wants to capture that moral complexity by presenting dilemmas without clear right answers.
The time dilation mechanic amplifies this. A decision that seems reasonable today might have catastrophic unintended consequences 50 years later when you see how society adapted to your actions. Or a harsh choice could lead to unexpected positive outcomes generations down the line. The butterfly effect operates at civilizational scale.
Studio Shakeup Before Launch
Just days after The Game Awards reveal, Archetype Entertainment founder and studio head James Ohlen stepped down from his position. Ohlen, a BioWare veteran who led development on Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and Dragon Age: Origins, founded Archetype in 2019 specifically to create Exodus.
According to statements from Hasbro (which owns Wizards of the Coast, which owns Archetype), Ohlen felt his work on the game was complete and that polishing and tuning were in capable hands with the remaining team. He’s transitioning to a creative consultant role focused on tabletop RPGs for Wizards rather than leaving entirely.
The timing raised eyebrows given Exodus won’t launch until early 2027, more than a year away. Game directors typically stay through the final stretch. However, Archetype still boasts significant BioWare talent including Chad Robertson and Drew Karpyshyn, ensuring the creative vision remains intact.
Ohlen had actually retired from video game development in 2018 when he left BioWare, forming his own tabletop company. He only returned to gaming after Wizards offered compelling creative freedom to build Archetype and create an original sci-fi universe. His shift back to tabletop suggests that’s where his true passion lies now that Exodus has taken shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Exodus release?
Exodus is scheduled to launch in early 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. The game was originally revealed at The Game Awards 2023 and received a major new trailer and gameplay showcase at The Game Awards 2025.
Who is developing Exodus?
Archetype Entertainment, a studio founded in 2019 and owned by Wizards of the Coast (which is owned by Hasbro), is developing Exodus. The studio was founded by BioWare veterans James Ohlen and Chad Robertson, with Mass Effect and KOTOR writer Drew Karpyshyn leading narrative design. The team includes former developers from BioWare, Blizzard, and Naughty Dog.
Can you romance companions in Exodus?
Yes, Exodus features romance options with human companions. Lead writer Drew Karpyshyn described the companions as “pretty thirsty,” suggesting forward romantic options. However, Salt the Awakened octopus is not romanceable because humans aren’t her type, according to the developers.
What is Matthew McConaughey’s role in Exodus?
Matthew McConaughey voices C.C. Orlev, a mysterious and legendary Traveler who serves as Jun’s mentor and guide. This is McConaughey’s first video game role. The character appears both physically and as a holographic presence, and his involvement ties into the game’s themes of time dilation and the psychological toll of space exploration.
What is time dilation in Exodus?
Time dilation is Exodus’s central mechanic. When traveling at near-light speeds during interstellar missions, time passes differently. Days for protagonist Jun Aslan become decades back home on Lidon. This means relationships change, loved ones age or die, and entire civilizations evolve while you’re away. Your choices ripple across generations, showing consequences 50 or even thousands of years into the future.
Who are the Celestials in Exodus?
The Celestials aren’t typical ancient aliens. They’re actually humanity’s descendants who evolved beyond recognition during the 40,000-year journey from Earth to the Centauri Cluster. Different ark ships arrived at different times, creating branches of transhumanity that advanced far beyond baseline humans. They left behind powerful artifacts that Jun can control through their Auspex ability.
Is Exodus similar to Mass Effect?
Yes, intentionally. The game is developed by former BioWare veterans who created Mass Effect and features similar DNA: space exploration, squad-based combat, companion relationships with romance options, choice-driven narrative, and sci-fi action RPG gameplay. The key difference is Exodus’s hard sci-fi approach to time dilation, which fundamentally changes how consequences work compared to typical space RPGs.
The Next Great Space Opera?
Exodus carries massive expectations as the spiritual successor to Mass Effect from many of the original creators. The time dilation concept genuinely differentiates it from typical space RPGs, forcing players to grapple with consequences across generations rather than just seeing immediate results. Matthew McConaughey’s involvement adds star power while connecting to Interstellar’s themes of time and sacrifice.
The companion roster looks diverse and interesting, with Salt the octopus already becoming a fan favorite despite her unavailability for romance. If Archetype delivers on the nuanced morality systems and emotional depth promised, combined with the hard sci-fi commitment to realistic space travel consequences, Exodus could become the next beloved space opera RPG.
James Ohlen’s departure just after the big reveal introduces some uncertainty, but the remaining team’s pedigree suggests the vision will carry through to completion. Early 2027 gives Archetype over a year to polish what already looks remarkably ambitious in scope and execution. For anyone who’s missed Mass Effect’s style of storytelling, Exodus represents the best hope for recapturing that magic with fresh ideas about time, choice, and the cost of saving humanity’s future.