James Ohlen joined Wizards of the Coast again in 2019 after a 22-year stint at BioWare to create a brand new IP for the Hasbro-owned tabletop gaming firm. Six years later, after cofounding Archetype Leisure to ship a really Mass Impact-looking RPG known as Exodus, he’ll not be head of the studio when the sport ultimately ships in 2027.
“At this stage, James felt his work on the sport was full and that the sharpening and tuning had been in nice fingers with the staff,” Hasbro VP of Communications Abby Hodes instructed Bloomberg in a press release. She added that Ohlen requested to “shift his inventive focus” and would stay a advisor for the corporate on tabletop gaming.
That is James Ohlen. He was the lead designer for Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Star Wars: Knights of the Outdated Republic and now he is making EXODUS.
He has been known as the “godfather of Bioware design”. With out James, you would not have Baldur’s Gate 3 or any of… pic.twitter.com/5RwfX4GAGN
— MrHulthen (@mrhulthen) December 16, 2025
Up to date with a brand new trailer throughout final week’s Sport Awards 2025 showcase, Exodus touts all the issues followers beloved about Mass Impact, together with bespoke relationships with NPCs, however with a brand new time dilation twist the place the impression of decisions gamers make will present up after they return to previous areas many years and even centuries sooner or later. It’s an expensive-looking recreation from a model new studio that started work through the pandemic, which could be a part of why the delayed undertaking continues to be a few years from launching.
However Exodus isn’t simply the potential begin of a brand new franchise, it’s a whole world that Hasbro desires to make use of as a springboard for different merchandise. Wizards launched an Exodus TTRPG guide earlier this yr and would little question love to take a look at buying and selling card and TV spin-offs if the sport ultimately turns into a Clair Obscur: Expedition 33-like hit.
Bloomberg additionally experiences that Ohlen stepping down comes alongside Blizzard veteran and Dreamhaven co-founder Paul Della Bitta turning into head of Wizards’ Digital Ventures division beneath fellow Blizzard veteran John Hight. Loads of different BioWare veterans nonetheless stay at Archetype, together with Chad Robertson and Drew Karpyshyn.
