Exodus locks in April 7, 2027 release date, reveals Salt the octopus companion in a mech suit

Archetype Entertainment's sci-fi RPG Exodus finally has a release date — April 7, 2027 — announced during Gamescom Opening Night Live. The game is coming to PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

The release date reveal came alongside a new trailer spotlighting Salt, one of the game's companions. Salt is an awakened octopus — a state shared by many animals in Exodus's world — who pilots a mech suit armed with a railgun, making her a proper combat presence rather than just a narrative sidekick. Game Informer traveled to Archetype's Austin, Texas studio for a hands-on deep dive, covering Salt's backstory, the game's lore, and its combat systems in detail. Exodus is built around companions, romances, a morality system, and special powers — familiar territory for anyone who played Mass Effect — but its defining mechanical twist is time dilation. Exodus missions send you on long-distance journeys near the speed of light, meaning minutes pass for you while weeks, months, or even years pass for the people you leave behind, letting the game show you the long-term consequences of your choices.

Archetype Entertainment is a Wizards of the Coast studio staffed heavily by former BioWare developers. Drew Karpyshyn, lead writer on the original Mass Effect trilogy, is among them — which explains why Exodus draws such direct comparisons to that series. The time dilation mechanic is the clearest way Archetype is carving out its own identity rather than just retreading familiar ground.

Exodus is expected to get more coverage throughout Gamescom this week following the ONL reveal. With a firm date now on the calendar and a Game Informer cover story in the mix, the marketing push is clearly underway.