The Mass Effect sci-fi RPG subgenre "hasn't had a good game in a long time", says Hasbro, and it believes Exodus can change that

The boss of toy giant Hasbro believes the sci-fi role-playing game space, which famously counts BioWare's Mass Effect trilogy among it, "hasn't had a good game in a long time". Moreover he - Chris Cocks - believes Hasbro's new game Exodus will change that.

Exodus is a game being made by Archetype Entertainment, which is a studio owned by Dungeons & Dragons company Wizards of the Coast, which in turn is owned by Hasbro, hence why Cocks is talking about it. Archetype Entertainment was founded by former BioWare veterans, including James Ohlen, who led design on games like Knights of the Old Republic, and Exodus is being written by Mass Effect's lead writer Drew Karpyshyn. There's a good reason, then, why Cocks is making the Mass Effect comparison.

Then again, the Exodus-Mass Effect comparison is one I made in an interview-preview about Exodus I wrote at the end of last year. It's a comparison everyone who sees Exodus tends to make, though it's important to stress there are significant differences - time dilation being a key one. Still, the two game series have incredibly similar looks and feel and sensibilities, even down to the music and colourful aesthetic they offer.

Archetype and Exodus are part of Hasbro's billion dollar push into video games, which includes a handful of other studios - a studio called Invoke is making a D&D action game called Warlock, notably - and this is what Cocks was talking to The Game Business about. It was during this conversation Cocks talked about there being a lack of a good sci-fi RPG in recent years.

"In 2018 this was true but I think it's even more true in 2026... it's a space that hasn't had a good game in a long time," Cocks said. "It's been a while since Mass Effect 2 and 3. I think there's a big need in the marketplace for that, and we're certainly seeing that with the fan response. So, while it's kind of a bold and maybe a risky bet, my hope is that it'll be a good one. I get to play the game now and then, and I'm pretty pleased with how it's coming together. Time will tell if it's a good financial bet."

Exodus is due for release in early 2027, and Archetype is currently drip-feeding short snippets of gameplay every week ahead of an extended gameplay reveal due to air after the Future Games Show on 6th June. These show the game from varying angles, offering us a glimpse at the game's cover-based combat, its dialogue and its exploration - which uses a grappling hook and a special 'shaper' abilities to demolish walls and magic bridges into existence. Exodus will also star Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey.

But Exodus isn't the only Mass Effect-like game in development. Pathfinder CRPG and Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader developer Owlcat games is taking on The Expanse licence in a similar way, in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, featuring cover-based combat with squad mates, branching dialogue, romance, and more. This will also be released next year, in spring, and The Expanse: Osiris Reborn demo I played was encouraging.

We might not have had a Mass Effect game since Andromeda in 2017, then, which arguably didn't scratch the itch left by Mass Effect 3 in 2012, but we're about to have two come along at once.