Exodus, Wizards’ Major AAA Video Game Venture, Expands into TTRPG

On Wednesday, Archetype Entertainment, a branch of Wizards of the Coast known for Dungeons & Dragons, unveiled a tabletop role-playing game based on their original AAA sci-fi RPG, Exodus. Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks recently spoke to Bloomberg, stating plans to roll out one to two games annually in the upcoming years, positioning Exodus to take center stage soon.

The project is led by a team of former BioWare developers, the talents behind classics like Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and the Mass Effect trilogy. Exodus was first brought to public attention through an impressive cinematic trailer featuring Matthew McConaughey during The Game Awards 2023. The trailer hinted at a fresh take on the sci-fi RPG genre, particularly focusing on the fascinating concept of time dilation during space travel, clearly drawing inspiration from Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. Since that initial reveal, fans have been eagerly awaiting more details. However, information has been sparse, with much of the promotional content centering on the world-building aspects and the developers involved. Earlier this year, an in-universe novel by Peter F. Hamilton also expanded on the Exodus universe.

The tabletop game is being marketed as a “special limited time offer” for those joining Archetype’s “founders” email list. Subscribers who sign up by December 10th stand a chance to purchase an early edition of the rulebook. So far, the only solid information about the Exodus tabletop RPG is that it’s designed by James Ohlen, renowned for his work on Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, Neverwinter Nights, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Apart from a cover image and a few vague details such as exploring the Exodus universe and confronting time dilation as “the Traveler,” the game’s mechanics and playstyle remain shrouded in mystery.

Bringing a tabletop RPG into the fold has become increasingly popular for major IP-driven games as a strategy to generate buzz during crowdfunding or pre-order phases. This technique has proven effective for projects like the Neopets RPG, which raised substantial funds even before revealing its gameplay mechanics on Kickstarter.

Whether this ambitious AAA endeavor will succeed remains uncertain, especially considering it marks Wizards of the Coast’s first tabletop RPG venture outside Dungeons & Dragons since Gamma World. At present, the Exodus TTRPG universe is still mostly an enigma.

Exodus is slated for release on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, although there is currently no set release date.