Longtime Bioware creative director and lead designer James Olen is stepping down as head of Archetype Entertainment, developer of the sci-fi shooter Mass Effecty Exodus. Olen co-founded Archetype back in 2019 with Exodus, which is now actively developing. Matthew McConaughey and the space bears From what we've seen so far, this is the studio's debut game. Following another trailer unveiled at the Geoff Awards last week, it will be released in early 2027.
News of Olen's role change at Archetype's parent company Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast comes from a report Bloomberg. “At this point, James felt that his work on the game was complete and that its development and customization was in good hands with the team,” Hasbro Vice President of Corporate Communications Abby Hoades told the site.
She added that Olen will remain with Wizards of the Coast as a creative consultant, “asking that his creative focus shift” to tabletop role-playing games. Disclosed back in 2023Throughout its trailers, Exodus is betting on a Mass Effecty RPG marriage with choices and consequences based on time dilation, but adding a bit of flare. McConaughey cinematography on top for added convenience. I can't say I'm 100% sure this will be my cup of tea, but the bears and frogs in the 2024 trailer definitely nudged me a little in that direction.
Bloomberg quotes Archetype co-founder and general manager Chad Robertson as recently confirming that Hasbro ideally wants Exodus to not only succeed as a game, but also expand into a variety of other media where they can make money. So Olen's move into board games is perhaps not as surprising as it might have been, although on the surface it might seem a little strange that a studio could go into polishing and tweaking mode a year and a bit before the game dons a spacesuit and jumps out of the airlock. However, fair play if it's simply a case of being smart about timing.
In addition to Ohlen's departure, the report mentions that Wizards of the Coast hired former Blizzard VP and Dreamhaven co-founder Paul Della Bitta to run one of its divisions. In less idle news, those pesky coastal wizards have also lifted the veil on the magic-heavy adventure film Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons at the Geoffs, revealing trailer really cranks up the smoke machines and announces that it will be released in 2027, just like Exodus.
