New Game from Former Mass Effect Dev Includes Choices That Play Out Over the Course of ‘Decades’

Highlights

• Exodus, a new game from Archetype Entertainment, will feature a unique time dilation mechanic, allowing players to see the consequences of their choices over the span of years, decades, and centuries.
• The core of the game revolves around time dilation, which is the difference in how time is perceived based on relative motion or gravitational field positions. This mechanic fits well with the game’s focus on space travel.
• Inspired by Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, Exodus aims to create a cerebral narrative concept that pushes the boundaries of video games. With industry veterans and Matthew McConaughey involved, the game has the potential to redefine the genre.

The recently announced game Exodus will allow players to see the choices they make play out over the course of decades. This innovative feature could add a level of immersion unlike anything ever before seen in the genre.

Exodus is an upcoming sci-fi action-adventure role-playing game. The project is currently in development by Archetype Entertainment, a new studio founded by former BioWare employees, such as industry veterans James Ohlen and Drew Karpyshyn. Ohlen, most known for his role as lead designer for the first two Baldur’s Gate games, the original Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age: Origins, and Karpyshyn for being lead writer of both Mass Effect 1 and 2. These two names being tied to the project alone have been enough to get fans of their previous work interested in seeing how they can push the limits of the medium with Exodus.

In a Q&A video by the game’s development team, Ohlen confirmed that Exodus will feature multiple endings like Mass Effect does, but these endings will be affected by time dilation. Meaning that players will get to make choices that span years, decades, and centuries.

“Time dilation, and how it impacts the choices you make, is the core of the game.”

Time dilation is essentially the difference between how time is perceived by one observer compared to another. This is dependent on their relative motion or gravitational field positions. Which is why the way time is perceived in space is different than it is on Earth. So, this seems fitting as a core game mechanic in Exodus because it focuses heavily on space travel, with the game’s tagline even being “Become the Traveler.”

It’s apparent that Exodus draws inspiration from Christopher Nolan’s film Interstellar, which is a story that revolves around the trippiness of space travel and time dilation. It will be interesting to see how such a cerebral narrative concept translates to the medium of video games. The star of Interstellar, Matthew McConaughey, was even the one to come out on stage and announce the project at the 2023 Game Awards. McConaughey also confirmed that he will star in Exodus, though it’s currently unknown what kind of role he will have in the game.

There is currently no known release window for Exodus, and details about the game itself are still scarce. However, with industry veterans at the helm, exemplary cinematic influence, and an innovative gameplay concept, Exodus has the potential to redefine the genre once again.

Exodus is currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.

MORE: Exodus Has Serious Destiny and Anthem Vibes