It’s all about storming a space station called Khonshu to gain favor from the Tenjin Dynasty. That means dealing with Gideon Aslan, Jun’s half-brother, and making various difficult choices. Like in Mass Effect, you can pursue a virtuous (Paladin) or ambitious (Immortal) path, and as you’d probably guess, one is leagues nicer than the other.

One example is Jun running into an injured soldier. The Paladin path involves giving him a Med Pack, which Dynasty leader Suliman Tenjin disapproves of. But you can also refuse to help and leave the soldier to die, and Suliman will praise your actions. Some fairly big decisions appear at the end which affect the Kay, an awakened species, so beware of spoilers.

Exodus launches on April 7th, 2027, for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. While this gameplay represents a work in progress, we get to see male Jun’s updated face, which looks miles better than the previous iteration. The question now is when Archetype will reveal Jun’s female version and dive more into character creation.

On the Hasbro Digital side of things, Ayoub will oversee the development of Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons and Archetype Entertainments’ Exodus. Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks spoke about Ayoub’s qualifications that make him the ideal leader for these divisions.

“Dan has the passion and leadership caliber to take Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Digital Games into its next chapter. He understands what our games mean to the people who play them and what it takes to build great teams and experiences. His promotion reflects one of my top priorities: developing our people. I couldn’t think of a better match to lead these businesses and I’m excited for the future with him at the helm.”

Ayoub’s new role comes following his recent stint as the senior vice president of Dungeons & Dragons, where he was in charge of leading the franchise as a whole. In its press release, Hasbro has given Ayoub some credit for the tabletop RPG’s surge in popularity over the last several years. Ayoub had joined the company back in 2022, and has even served as the senior vice president of Digital Games at one point.

Before that, Ayoub had spent 11 years at Microsoft in a number of roles, including as an executive producer and studio head of 343 Industries. He would eventually serve a stint as vice president and general manager of Certain Affinity.

“I’m honored to lead Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Digital Games, and grateful to Chris and the leadership team for this opportunity,” said Ayoub in a statement. “Magic and D&D have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and the teams behind them are among the best in the world. We’ll put fans first, respect the artists and creators who make these worlds come alive, and set an ambitious course for growth across tabletop and digital. I can’t wait to get started.”

What this means for Hasbro’s two upcoming games – Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons and Exodus – remains to be seen. Archetype Entertainment, however, had recently showcased a new trailer for its sci-fi RPG Exodus, giving us our first look at how the team has improved the character model for protagonist Jun Aslan. The team also noted that it has been paying attention to feedback from fans following the release of various trailers. Exodus is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on April 7th.

Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, on the other hand, doesn’t yet have a release date. The title is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and the team has spoken about how it wants to ensure that its magic system makes players feel overpowered.

“We’ve seen your conversations and feedback over the last few months around our male Jun character model. We’ve been listening, and we take that feedback seriously. We’ve continued to refine Jun as we’ve worked on him and the rest of the game.” The trailer then cuts to Jun in various scenes from throughout Exodus, showcasing how the team has generally improved the character model in a number of ways.

In the meantime, it is worth noting that Archetype Entertainment hasn’t yet revealed what the female version of Jun will look like. However, considering how Robertson spoke about feedback being important in this regard, it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn that the team has also been working hard to ensure that the female Jun doesn’t face similar types of complaints.

The quality of character models can be quite important for a game like Exodus, since the sci-fi RPG is set to have quite a bit of emphasis on its story. This means that the expressiveness of characters across various situations, from facing down world-ending threats to simply spending some time with companions, is important to get right.

Just last month, narrative director Drew Karpyshyn spoke about the relationship system in Exodus, and how the team has been working hard to make sure that the relationships between characters feel real. This means that players’ choices will also define how their companions see them, and as a result, might even affect their relationships.

“[M]aking their relationship with you grow, allowing it to evolve from the choices you’ve made, and realizing that the choices you make are going to bring some companions closer to you, but maybe push some companions farther away.”

“Without spoiling too much, we definitely want to have it impact how their storylines go,” he continued. “Depending on choices you make, by the end of the game, you might not have every companion with you that you started with. That’s about all I can say!”

Exodus is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on April 7th, 2027. The release date for the title was announced with a trailer that gave us a new look at one of the in-game characters – Salt the Octopus. The character has been described as being “Awakened” and capable of communication with the other characters. In combat situations, Salt can control a combat mech, giving her access to a variety of weapons and other tools that could turn the tide of battle.

Around the same time, the studio also provided details about Emrys – another party member that Jun can befriend. In combat, Emrys is able to weaken enemies and empower Jun through the use of Remnant Orbs, essentially making her a support character that could prove vital in the thick of battle.

This also means that these relationships will end up having far-reaching consequences in the core story of Exodus. Karpyshyn also confirmed that, while players get to get closer with some of the characters, they will also end up inadvertently pushing some companions away with their choices.

“[M]aking their relationship with you grow, allowing it to evolve from the choices you’ve made, and realizing that the choices you make are going to bring some companions closer to you, but maybe push some companions farther away.”

“Without spoiling too much, we definitely want to have it impact how their storylines go,” he continued. “Depending on choices you make, by the end of the game, you might not have every companion with you that you started with. That’s about all I can say!”

Giving players the agency to make choices extends well beyond the main story too. Karpyshyn spoke about how even optional content like side quests will have plenty of choices that can change how things play out, and even have effects on your relationships. “Even within that optional content, there are choices that will lock or unlock certain things, change the way things play out, change relationships, change characters, change… future… missions…”

Exodus is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is slated for release on April 7th. Archetype Entertainment confirmed the release date with a trailer last month, which also gave us a look at one of the game’s characters – Salt the Octopus. The character is an interesting one, since she is capable of communicating with other species despite being an octopus, and is also adept at sniping from a distance and using smokescreens to confuse enemies during fights.

Another party member unveiled with the trailer was Emrys of the Deva – a Celestial that can use their abilities to weaken enemies and power up Jun by using resources known as Remnant Orbs. The Emrys is slated to be a support-oriented party member that can offer plenty of utility in combat encounters.

Back in June, Archetype Entertainment had confirmed that Exodus had entered its final stretch of development. The studio released an extended gameplay trailer that gave us a look at the core premise of the game, which revolves around a salvager named Jun Aslan who can seemingly interact with ancient Celestial technology. The combat is also set to offer plenty of choices to players, from stealth to rushing in guns blazing.

For more details about Exodus, take a look at our thoughts on why it has the potential to be a dark horse in the RPG genre when it comes out next year. Also check out some more combat set in the Ghost City of Lidon.

What makes her special? Aside from being Awakened and communicating with other species, she harnesses a combat mech which enables all kinds of tactics. Sniping, smokescreens that can confuse enemies, you name it. However, like everyone else, Salt has her own hang-ups and isn’t too shy about putting the rest of the squad in danger to get paid.

Archetype also revealed new details on another party member: Emrys of the Deva. As a Celestial, they can weaken foes and empower Jun with Remnant Orbs, playing an essential support role. Whether that’s enough to warrant selecting over the others remains to be seen, but we’re keen to see what drives Emrys.

If all that wasn’t enough, the developer also confirmed that Exodus will launch on April 7th, 2027, for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. It’s already crossed 500,000 wishlists, unlocking a Celestial Star Map to use as a decoration for the in-game apartment. Other rewards, including cosmetics, await, so stay tuned for further updates and check out some extended gameplay here.

Granted, this isn’t a new game announcement like last year’s The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. If you’ve been following the developer’s various teasers over the past few months, a bit of this probably seemed familiar. But after years of hearing about its ambition, and how it wanted to deliver this role-playing game that measures decisions in hundreds of years, we have to admit: Exodus is coming together very well.

From the outset, it’s pretty standard sci-fi fare. You play as Jun Aslan, a salvager who has a special gift (and whose appearance you can customize). For some reason, they can access ancient Celestial structures, which one of your companions calls a salvager’s dream. But far from simply embarking on missions to discover valuables, you become a Traveler, a faction that sets out to explore the universe and discover Remnants, which are ancient relics. So far, pretty straightforward…except the whole point of leaving Lidon, the moon that you call home, is to find a way to stop a disease called the Rot.

Then there’s the other twist: Time passes at different rates. A week out in space can feel like years back home, and this is more than just some kind of Interstellar-like plot device – it has a huge bearing on everything.

We’ll get to that, but when it comes to the moment-to-moment gameplay, whether you’re interacting with different characters or engaging in combat, Exodus feels like it’s hitting on all cylinders. A good example is a situation where you need to clear out a gaggle of mercenaries with an armored turret as backup. While you could simply go loud and start blasting, there’s also the option to play it stealthily. Snipe enemies from afar in silence, crouch-walk around and take down any unwitting fools or embrace the assassin’s path and deliver death from above. If things get too dicey, you can even activate the Scramble Cloak for some much-needed invisibility.

All of this would be well enough on its own, but the core combat is also more than up to the task of delivering some standout moments. Aside from a mysterious gauntlet passed down by his father, Jun can also use a grappling hook to get around the environment. This already opens up more traversal options on the battlefield, but in a particularly cool moment later on, it’s revealed that you can grapple into cover. Of all the talk about revamping cover-based mechanics that I’ve heard over the past few days, this is one of the coolest things that a third-person shooter/action RPG has done in years.

But that’s only the beginning. Synergies allow for comboing different abilities to create specific effects, and you can individually command companions in the middle of combat. Some of the abilities will look familiar – Singularity, anyone? – but then there are those like Lance, provided as an upgrade while exploring. It’s most useful for destroying the brambles created by the Rot, but aim at a boss’s weak points, as seen in combat versus the Ghost Cannon, and it can inflict some heavy damage.

Another cool feature is effectively shaping terrain, thus creating cover on demand. It’s already essential during traversal, especially when chaining its usage with grappling hook swings, but this means encounters won’t simply be defined by existing structures and barricades that you huddle behind. And if all that wasn’t enough, Jun even gets a sword as a melee weapon.

Of course, all of this would matter little if the story and characters weren’t interesting. With Drew Karpyshyn of Mass Effect 1 and 2 fame, and British sci-fi author Peter F Hamilton, it’s not just companions like Elise, Salt the Awakened octopus or the quirky Phaedra who feel unique. Even the NPCs are memorable, like an Awakened elephant vendor who thinks Jun is making a joke about the animal and its ability to remember.

That extends to the choices and consequences apparent throughout the story, further aided by your ability to take the high road as a Paladin or embrace the Immortal lifestyle. Not every choice will be as black and white, as seen in a later mission involving Phaedra and her grandfather, but that’s the beauty of it all, especially in how it affects Lidon.

You’ll journey back to Persepolis between missions and hear stories about how the effects of time dilation – how it’s affected certain individuals and even shaped the city in different ways. New missions also open up, and you’ll meet new characters, which can either further the main narrative or lead to new opportunities. It’s also where you’ll reflect – not just on the validity of your mission and the emotional weight of passed time, but also whether there’s some kind of force that’s guiding you along. Surely, CC Orlowe, played by Matthew McConaughey – whose presence was the biggest selling point of Exodus when it was first announced – has some part in all this, as he seemingly ventures through the universe, strumming his guitar and offering new upgrades for Jun.

Oftentimes when you think of space, it’s the grand scale that comes to mind. The sheer number of planets and stars, the vast emptiness of its reaches, the solitude and isolation that comes with venturing into the unknown. However, Exodus has seemingly tapped into what made the journey so worthwhile in the Mass Effect games.

Rather than trying to capture every single corner of a vast volume of space, spreading its content thin, Archetype appears to present its stories in this universe – both individual and the bigger picture – over a seemingly impossible length of time. As a result, even when you return to familiar people and places, there’s a feeling of wonder and curiosity. Or trepidation and fear over what time does to everything.

Make no mistake – you’ll still explore some pretty fantastical locations. Ruins guarded by Ghost Soldiers who have no other directive than attacking all and sundry. Volcanic reaches with perilous paths. Impressive Celestial structures on a snow-covered world. Even the sights and sounds of Persepolis.

Yet the scale of the events is reflected on a more personal level. In the characters you meet, how you develop Jun – whether it’s to be this legendary do-gooder or this infamous rogue – and what you ultimately decide. It may not seem like venting those mercenaries out of the airlock will have any long-term consequences. But what if there really are innocents among them? How will that come back to haunt players? That such small acts could inspire such questions is one thing – magnifying that against the backdrop of a larger universe and its various species over centuries is quite another.

At first, it seemed like Exodus would buckle under the weight of its own ambition. However, now that we’ve seen an extended gameplay look, and how conversations, decisions and combat flow into each other, we’re incredibly hyped. It’s out in early 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, and if Archetype Entertainment can leverage its premise to deliver on all that potential, creating an unforgettable space adventure in the process, then we could be looking at one of the dark horses of next year.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

The premise revolves around a lowly salvager named Jun Aslan, who can interact with ancient Celestial technology. From lowly salvaging missions, they eventually undertake a quest to find a solution to a virus called the Rot ravaging their homeworld. It’s worth noting that you can customize Jun to be male or female with various options, including face scars.

Throughout your journey, various decisions will let you choose to be a Virtuous Paladin or an Immortal, the latter leaning more towards a Renegade playstyle. Besides Tom and Elise (the woman with the mech), you also encounter Salt, the Awakened octopus, and a researcher named Phaedra. There’s also the mysterious CC Orlowe voiced by Matthew McConaughey, who provides some upgrades.

Combat is equally intriguing, especially because stealth can be used to thin out the herd. Sneakily snipe foes from afar or use the Scramble Cloak to go invisible and execute takedowns. At one point, you can use Jun’s ability to turn off an autocannon and potentially vent the mercenaries in his way. However, that may also mean killing innocents. Paladin or Immortal – it’s your choice, and your companions’ opinions will adjust accordingly.

Of course, the main hook is time dilation. Time passes differently on your home world, and upon returning to Persepolis between missions, you’ll see how your decisions have affected the planet. Another mission involves venturing to a planet after a message from Phaedra’s grandfather, and Ghost Soldiers await to oppose you. Along with using the mysterious gauntlet left by his father to reshape the terrain and create cover, Jun can obtain new abilities, like Lance, which comes in handy against the Ghost Cannon boss.

Exodus is out in early 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, and Archetype Entertainment will be sharing much more in the lead-up to launch. Stay tuned in the meantime.

The latest one takes us to what the studio calls a Volcanic Hellscape, a land where life doesn’t seem to thrive in the slightest. Although we only witness the beginning of Jun Aslan’s descent into this bleak place, the crumbling ruins of a distant ship, and an ominously green fog that we suspect might need an air filtration system are obvious highlights.

Even more ominous is the silence that blankets the region like an almost tangible layer of melancholy. A catalyst for the feeling that something sinister has caused it, and is likely lying in wait for its next unwitting victim. Not if we have anything to do with it, though.

This latest showcase follows that intense fight in the Ghost City and that intriguing look at The Guarding Maze from last week. It’s a seriously impressive effort at presenting biome variety, and June 6 cannot get here fast enough for us as we wait to see how the studio brings all of its worlds together.

What time? Well, good news – it immediately follows the Future Games Show Summer Showcase set for the same day at noon PT. Alix Wilton Regan, Lara Croft’s voice actor in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and the ever-affable Troy Baker will be on hand as hosts, as the showcase promises over 40 title announcements. Triple-A, indie – you name it, along with (hopefully) everything else in between.

Of course, beyond the deep dive, there’s also FGS Live From Los Angeles taking place from the Summer Games Fest campus. It promises even more “world premieres and exclusive trailers.”

With Exodus out in 2027, this will finally be the opportunity for Archetype Entertainment to lay out everything players need to know, from examples of the time dilation mechanic to how your decisions can ripple throughout the universe. Thus far, we’ve seen protagonist Jun Aslan using various abilities to reshape terrain, whether it’s to cross gaps or construct cover to battle against Ghosts and other foes.

We also saw Persepolis, Jun’s home city, and the various sights and sounds that bring it to life. How much will it change based on his actions? Time (in the most literal sense) will tell, so stay tuned.

We begin things with a look at a distant foe, who seems like a threat that shouldn’t be taken lightly, with its imposing presence and a rather menacing way of standing in plain sight without a care in the world. Turns out he’s a changeling called Gath with Celestial origins. Knowing his name doesn’t make him any less terrifying, though.

Jun seems to agree with us on this one, taking a detour that requires the use of a Gauntlet ability called Eruption that can destroy obstacles in your path, as well as reconstructing limestone deposits to create paths. The party is certainly going to need it, considering how labyrinthine the entire place looks. We don’t know if we’re more intimidated by this one or the Ghost City that Archetype showcased a while ago.

We’re going to continue to complain about how every one of these little peeks behind the development curtain only makes us more eager to see the extended showcase coming this Summer. Hopefully it will tide us over before the game’s launch in 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.