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Even after two years since its reveal at The Game Awards 2023, Archetype Entertainment’s sci-fi action-RPG Exodus is still something of a mystery. Set in an original sci-fi universe from Wizards of the Coast – of Dungeons & Dragons fame – Exodus focuses on the accelerated evolution of human and alien civilizations, with players deciding the fate of different factions and humanity within the warring galaxy. Also, Matthew McConaughey will play a pivotal character who will guide players on that journey.
Prior to the reveal of the newest trailer at The Game Awards 2025, we got an early look and learned from the devs how the time dilation system will influence the player’s story, in what they refer to as an adventure that feels like “Indiana Jones meets Interstellar.”
“We try to give players a lot of agency in everything they do. Our goal is to almost make them feel like co-authors in the story, and not just along for the ride,” said Chris King, game director on Exodus. “When it comes to Jun’s story, you basically make a ton of moral choices, and then you see them play out across multiple generations due to time dilation.”
With sci-fi author Peter F. Hamilton working with Wizards of the Coast to build the history and lore of Exodus, along with developer Archetype Entertainment having many former-Bioware devs on board, it’s certainly tapping into the same tone and scale of the much-loved Mass Effect series. But in Exodus, the developers aim to present player consequences in a different way, with time as a constant force.
Set in the Centauri Cluster in the far future, Exodus follows humanity as it struggles to survive in its new home, Lidon, after the collapse of Earth. With their new home world also collapsing, lone human scavenger Jun discovers they have the ability to control mysterious artifacts from a powerful alien force known as Celestials, which allows him to help give humanity a chance at survival. But over the course of their journey, Jun will first see the results of their choices, shaped by interstellar time dilation, forcing them to directly confront the positive and negative consequences in the ever-changing galaxy.
The latest trailer offers a clearer glimpse of the stakes driving Exodus’ main story, which sees protagonist Jun explore the galaxy with their allies and encounter factions shaped by their choices – including some human factions that have evolved into alien-like races over generations. Much like the Mass Effect series from BioWare, Exodus leans into player choice, and this also includes options for players to customize Jun’s appearance and gender to fit their type of story.
During the developer interviews, the creative team explained that, in addition to narrative choices, the core combat and traversal will also offer options, such as going all out with Jun’s arsenal of weapons and celestial powers, or using more stealthy tactics to overcome rival factions and complete complex tasks.
According to Drew Karpyshyn, narrative director on Exodus and former BioWare writer on both the Mass Effect series and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the main story will show Jun’s growth as an interstellar explorer and wielder of ancient alien technology tied to his lineage as a “Traveler.”
“You begin the game as a lonely scavenger, but [Jun] has a connection to a powerful ‘traveler’ dynasty, and they also have access to some powerful alien tech, which only they can use,” said Karpyshyn. “Over the course of the game, Jun reclaims their traveler heritage and becomes a champion, leader, and hero of the people, and ultimately, Jun is the only character able to stop the destruction of the human homeworld. I think people are really going to see the story of Jun when they get a chance to play it.”
Exodus will also feature a variety of companion characters that can help in battle and help flesh out the story, and can even form some romances with. One particularly interesting companion from the trailer is an alien octopus who rides in a mech suit. Though this particular character is not romanceable, other allies will have opportunities to form deeper bonds in the story.
But one key character that is still something of an enigma is the ally played by Matthew McConaughey. Known as C.C. Orlev, he was once a legendary human explorer who went missing. Jun will eventually interact with Orlev, but only when they’re needed the most. The trailer showed off a bit more of McConaughey’s role in the game, and while it is a familiar wise elder type of archetype, it is still intriguing to see the actor make his video game debut with such an ambitious role.
Be sure to check out everything announced at The Game Awards 2025 for more, as well as the winners list in full.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
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