Two major space RPGs may arrive in 2027, but Hasbro is already making it clear which one it sees as the real successor to Mass Effect. According to the company behind Dungeons & Dragons, Exodus looked special from the moment Archetype Entertainment first pitched the idea. CEO Chris Cocks believes fans who have been waiting years for another great Mass Effect-style experience should pay very close attention.

It has been almost ten years since Mass Effect stopped being one of the defining names in science fiction RPGs. Fans are still waiting for BioWare to provide solid news about the next entry, but for now, the only thing they can really hold on to is the promise that the game will exist at some point in the future. That is not much for a series that once gave players entire worlds, consequential choices, squad drama, and space-opera storytelling on a scale that few RPGs could match.

That long absence is exactly why Exodus has become so interesting. Hasbro is no longer treating it as just another science fiction RPG on the release calendar. Chris Cocks, the company’s CEO, told GamesRadar+ that the project convinced Hasbro’s leadership very early on. The reason is obvious enough: Archetype Entertainment includes several former BioWare veterans, people who understand why a character-driven, choice-heavy sci-fi RPG can matter far beyond its combat system. Cocks said that “people are going to like it, especially if they’re Mass Effect fans”, which makes the positioning fairly blunt. Hasbro is aiming directly at the audience BioWare has kept waiting for years.

The executive also repeated a point he has made before: it has been a long time since there was a truly great Mass Effect game. That line carries a little sting, because it frames Exodus as more than a stopgap while fans wait for the next BioWare project. It turns the game into a direct challenger. That is especially awkward for BioWare, since Mass Effect 5 still has no release window, while Exodus is currently targeting early 2027.

The comparison is not being forced out of nowhere. What has been shown of Exodus points toward space exploration, third-person combat, extensive dialogue, major decisions, and a strong focus on epic storytelling without abandoning action. That is very close to the formula that made Mass Effect so powerful in the first place. It was never only about shooting enemies in futuristic corridors. It was about who you trusted, which factions you supported, what you sacrificed, and how far the consequences of your decisions would reach.

According To Hasbro’s CEO, Exodus Is Dungeons & Dragons In Space

Cocks described Exodus as a kind of Dungeons & Dragons in space, which is not a throwaway comparison coming from Hasbro. After the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, the company knows exactly how valuable a deep, flexible, player-driven role-playing foundation can be when it also reaches a broad audience. Cocks said that some of the people behind the game worked on titles he considers among his all-time favorites, and that once they pitched the core idea – basically D&D in space – he was immediately on board.

Exodus also has more than veteran developer credentials behind it. Matthew McConaughey’s involvement has already helped the project stand out from the usual early-announcement noise, and Hasbro clearly wants this RPG to land as a major release. There is still no firm launch date, but the current target is early 2027. If that window holds, the game may arrive close to another large space RPG, since The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is scheduled for the second quarter of that same year.

That could create an unusual moment for the genre. Science fiction RPG fans have spent years looking backward at what Mass Effect used to be, and suddenly 2027 may offer two large projects trying to bring back the sense that space is more than a backdrop. It can be a place for choices, companions, factions, consequences, and political pressure. The key difference is that Exodus now has the owners of Dungeons & Dragons openly pushing its claim: this is not merely a game that resembles the memory of Mass Effect. It wants to occupy the space BioWare has left open for far too long.

Source: 3DJuegos