Archetype Entertainment, the gaming studio founded by Wizards of the Coast, has released a second “Founders Q&A” update on YouTube. Some faces in the studio will be familiar to fans of the legendary Mass Effect series. Three graduates of this record-breaking series of games led the development of Exodus.
Studio Head James Ohlen, General Manager Chad Robertson, and noted fiction writer Drew Karpyshyn are all award-winning gaming veterans.
Exodus update
Ohlen said the creative team stacked all the science fiction authors they value into four stacked tiers. He continued: “We really wanted to have some great science fiction minds help us build this universe.” I expected we would get a writer from the third or fourth tier, but never anyone from the first or second tier second level. Then we found out Peter Hamilton was a possibility.”
Acclaimed British science fiction author Peter F. Hamilton has joined the team to help shape the universe and has published a book, Exodus: The Archimedes Engine, a prequel to the game.
The video included a brief overview of the studio’s progress and a cameo credit from Mathew McConaughey. According to Robertson, “What we’ve seen and what’s exciting is all the (fan) theories about what role Matthew plays in our game.”
Ohlen continued: “Matthew’s character will have a big presence in the game. Right from the start. Until the end. To the epilogue of the game.”
“Companions are a big part of Exodus. We know how important they are to the players,” said Robertson. “We have put together an incredibly diverse group of companions. I’d like to reveal a few of them today, but so far we’ve only revealed one, and that’s Elise.”
Elise was briefly teased by Archetype in an announcement video with the hashtag #lovestofight.
When asked about the universe’s inhabitants, Ohlen replied that the term “alien” does not refer to the wide range of life forms that players encounter during their travels in space.
He said: “Everything in the universe of Exodus has an earthly origin, but they have evolved over tens of thousands of years.” Some of them have evolved into incredibly strange, wondrous and strange creatures. They are much stranger than other classic aliens you might see in other science fiction franchises.”
In recent years, only a few role-playing games have been able to hold a candle to the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series. Narratively speaking, the only successor that could rival Bioware’s crown is Larian Studios, which interestingly will be cutting its ties with Hasbro, as we reported.
Hasbro owns Wizards of the Coast and the company’s gaming division, which in turn operates Archetype.
Hasbro has a big hole in Baldur’s Gate 3 form, both in projected profits following Larian’s departure and in the titles that fans are eagerly looking forward to.
A constant in the success of Mass Effect and Dragon Age is the tag team of Ohlen and Karpyshyn. Both worked on Dragon Age, Neverwinter, Baldur’s Gate and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Therefore, their chevrons are top notch in the gaming world, as are their award cabinets.
“We both want to express our appreciation for the support we have received online, on our social channels and through the press we have received,” the video ends. “This early support from the community means a lot to us and the entire team. Thank you and stay tuned!”
Image: Exodus.