James Ohlen is regarded as the “Godfather of BioWare Design”. With a new studio, he wanted to create a sci-fi role-playing game in the spirit of Mass Effect. Now it’s clear: the release of Exodus will not celebrate the industry veteran as part of the team.
What’s going on with James Ohlen? According to a report from Bloomberg, the industry veteran has asked the officials at Hasbro to allow him to resign from his position at Archetype Entertainment in order to refocus his creative energy on tabletop role-playing games.
Abby Hodes, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Hasbro, explains: “At this stage, James felt that his work on the game was complete and that the fine-tuning and adjustments were in good hands with the team”.
James Ohlen’s team has been working on the sci-fi role-playing game Exodus since 2019, which has exuded strong Mass Effect vibes in all its previous trailers. Just a few days ago at the Game Awards, the developers revealed that the ambitious RPG is expected to be released in 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store).
The “Godfather of BioWare Design”
What do I need to know about James Ohlen? At a comic book store, Ohlen once developed several campaigns for Dungeons & Dragons that were so popular and well-crafted that he was recruited as a writer and designer by BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk.
Thanks to his experiences with D&D, he took on his first senior role at Baldur’s Gate. The success of the role-playing game made him Director of Design at BioWare. With Baldur’s Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age: Origins, he was able to celebrate further significant successes as Lead Designer.
He was also involved in games such as Jade Empire, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Mass Effect. Thus, James Ohlen has significantly shaped the most successful era of BioWare. He is now regarded as the “Godfather of BioWare Design”, akin to a godfather of the BioWare magic that many fans of the classics still celebrate today.
Who is taking the lead? With Paul Della Bitta, Hasbro has the next veteran on board to take over the leadership of Archetype Entertainment. Paul Della Bitta has been in the industry since 2002 and has worked for Turbine, Blizzard, and Riot Games over the past decades. His direct supervisor, Wizards President John Hight, also spent many years at Blizzard.
What do I need to know about Exodus? The action-adventure RPG lets you control Jun Aslan, who goes from an insignificant junk collector to the last hope of humanity. Humanity is threatened by the Celestials, which is an evolutionary stage of humanity 40,000 years in the future.
Exodus, like Mass Effect, focuses on building a crew of companions, making decisions that have consequences, strongly staged story sequences, and third-person shooting action against aliens. Among the special features is the factor of time, which is said to play a similar role in Exodus as in the film Interstellar. Additionally, Aslan can utilize the Celestials’ technology. More about the game: In the new sci-fi RPG from the creators of Mass Effect, you play Indiana Jones from the Jedi Order.
