Exodus: A Deep Dive for the Dedicated Science Fiction Enthusiast.

For a distinct breed of science-fiction devotee, the unveiling of Exodus stood as the biggest news from a recent gaming awards ceremony. Curiously, those very fans may not have grasped its full importance during the initial showcase.

Exodus, the inaugural game from a recently established studio staffed with former talent from a famous RPG developer, was originally unveiled a couple of years prior. At the latest event, the development team provided an projected release window of 2027, accompanied by a action-packed trailer. Before this reveal, the studio's leadership discussed some of the authentic scientific ideas that form the foundation for the game's universe: time dilation, biological engineering, and galactic expansion. These are all inherently complex ideas, which are particularly difficult to convey in a brief, showy trailer.

“It's a shame some of those innovative and new ideas were shown in the trailer. What I perceived was ‘stereotypical man in space,’” wrote one viewer. Another quipped, “My impression was ‘we have a well-known space opera RPG at home.’” Responses in fan hubs were equally varied.

The trailer's approach certainly is understandable from a business perspective. When striving to make an impact during a lengthy barrage of game announcements, what is more marketable: Scientists debating the finer points of theoretical science? Or enormous robots blowing up while additional mechs emit plasma from their armor? However, in choosing spectacle, the developers failed to include the quieter details that make Exodus one of the more exciting hard sci-fi games in development. Let's delve deeper.

The Question of Humanity

Does Exodus include aliens? Perhaps. The answer is nuanced. Look at that shot near the start of the trailer, depicting a humanoid with metallic skin and cybernetic components integrated into their flesh. That was surely an alien, right? Ultimately hinges on your perspective regarding one of the game's major thematic dilemmas: If you applied incremental change logic to the human DNA, is what remains still a human being?

“We want the Celestials... for a player that isn't invest considerable amounts of time into absorbing the lore, to still comprehend the core concept that they're transhuman descendants, recognize that they’re an opposing force you have to face... But also, at the end of the day, make sure it's enjoyable and that they're cool and that they play well to fight against,” explained the studio's lead executive.

Comprehending how these non-human beings aren't strictly aliens requires grappling with immense expanses of both space and time. Time dilation — the relativistic effect that time moves differently for rapidly traveling objects — is an fundamental core tenet of Exodus’ science-fiction trappings. Here are the fundamentals: Humanity leaves a dying Earth in the 23rd century for a remote corner of the Milky Way. Due to time dilation, some human voyagers arrive ages before others. Those pioneers extensively engineered their biology and took on the “Celestial” moniker.

“There’s different levels of evolution. The people who reached the Centauri cluster first... had many thousands of years of evolution into the Celestials... They really see baseline humans as fundamentally primitive, lesser, not really fit for the dominant positions of society,” stated the game's lead writer.

Exodus is set approximately 40,000 years in the future. Ponder that timeframe — that's the equivalent of all of human civilization multiplied ten times over. Now think about what humans would look like if they spent ten entire human histories pushing the boundaries of biological science. You would absolutely not identify the result as human. You might very well believe you're observing an alien. The most vicious strain of Celestial, known as the Mara-Yama, can assume various forms. Some possess sharp teeth and claws and stand enormously tall. Others are protected in chitinous shells. According to expanded universe lore, when Mara-Yama travel between stars, their physical forms can atrophy into little more than a mass of tissue attached to a head.

Building a Sci-Fi Canon

Between the pyrotechnics, beam attacks, and battle bears, you might have glimpsed snippets of otherworldly technology in the trailer. The protagonist, Jun Aslan, operates a metallic machine that emanates a etherial glow. A spaceship accelerates into a portal and is gone at near-light speed. This all seems beyond human achievement, the kind of tech ascribed to a Kardashev Scale-topping civilization. Yet, these are further examples of concepts that seem alien but are ultimately derived in our species' own journey.

Beyond the core development team, the Exodus lore is being crafted by what the narrative lead called a duo of “literary legends.” One bestselling author has already published a massive novel set in the universe, with another planned, while another prolific writer has written a series of short stories. Bringing such respected science-fiction talent into the world years before the game's release has enabled the studio to develop a rich fictional universe as a backdrop for the game.

“It was really a collaborative effort. We had set some parameters, and working with him, he would have ideas... and we would work to see how they all fit together... With someone so talented, you don't want to handcuff him. You want to give him creative freedom,” the narrative director said of the collaboration.

One interesting scene shows Jun appearing to mold the ground beneath him, creating stone into a instant bridge. This material, called livestone, responds to mental impulses from Celestials or a specific human subclass — descendants of later human arrivals who were allowed specific technologies by the Celestials. Since Jun shows this ability, questions are raised about his status.

“Jun's not technically a Uranic human... Jun is sort of a unique version, for want of a better term,” clarified the writer, adding that the ability to interact with Celestial technology is a “important element of the game.”

The vast scale of the Exodus setting — both in the galaxy and the timeline — means there is ample room for various stories to exist, drawing from the same core lore without causing overlap.

Stories Within the Void

Although Exodus has been on the radar for a couple of years and won't arrive, several stories have already been told within its universe. The first major novel explores the connection between a Uranic human and a woman whose ship arrived an aeon later than planned, making Celestials totally alien to her experience. An episode of a streaming show recounts a tragic story about a father pursuing his daughter across star systems, with time dilation resulting in profound effects on their family; by the time he finds her, she has lived decades.

The game itself is centered on “Jun’s story,” set on the planet Lidon — a world largely left by Celestials that has become a human stronghold. A corrupting influence known as “the Rot” has begun corroding everything, including vital life support systems, and Jun must harness his unusual powers to {find a solution|stop