A few alumni of the Mass Effect series are working on a new space-based action-RPG, the big-budget Exodus that's being bankrolled by Hasbro. As we get closer towards the project's launch, a higher-up at the tabletop company reckons it'll harken a return to form when it comes to cosmic gameplay.
Chris Cocks, the CEO of Hasbro, spoke to The Game Business about his high hopes for Exodus, which is the corporation's start of a bigger push into video games. "Yes, it's a new IP, but it's not unfamiliar ground to us," Cocks explains. "Exodus is effectively D&D in space. We're familiar with role-playing games, and familiar with how to make good ones. It's a genre we understand."
Several ex-BioWare devs are contributing to the project, as part of studio Archetype Entertainment. James Ohlen and Drew Karpyshyn, who each worked on Mass Effect and the first Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, co-founded the company with Chad Robertson, though Ohlen left in late 2025. Cocks is appropriately proud of the talent on show, and believes timing is on their side for Exodus.
"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," he says. "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."
That's a slightly sweeping perspective. On the RPG front, we've had The Outer Worlds games and Starfield, Star Ocean: The Divine Force came out in 2022, and though they're more roguelike, Returnal and Saros deserve mentions as well. None offer the kind of character-driven, multi-faceted narratives of Mass Effect, though, and if Exodus harnesses some of that, it could indeed be quite special.
"It's kind of a bold and maybe a risky bet, my hope is that it'll be a good one," Cocks adds. "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." We'll find out come 2027.
