gamescom 2026 is officially in full swing, and during the Opening Night Live showcase, Archetype Entertainment uncorked a new EXODUS trailer with a release date in 2026.
Since its huge announcement at The Game Awards 2025, fans have been calling Archetype Entertainment’s new Sci-Fi space opera, EXODUS, a “spiritual successor” to the Mass Effect franchise. This is a comparison the veteran team of developers has fully embraced considering the design team is composed of former BioWare devs who have worked on the series. At gamescom 2026 ONL, Archetype Entertainment enterted the showcase fully loaded with another trailer, but this time, they’ve revealed EXODUS is coming in 2028. The trailer can be seen below.
That’s right, gamescom 2026 revealed EXODUS is coming in April 2028, and the octopus companion that stole the hearts of many back in The Game Awards 2025 (aka Salt) has been given a deeper look. Unlike Darwin’s Paradox or Octodad: Dadliest Catch, Salt is an octopus with aggressive tendencies and pilots a specialized combat mech akin to an eight-armed Amuro Ray without the GUNDAM. Salt is a marksman of authority, she can use quick evasive maneuvers in a dogfight, and deploy ink-like smokescreens that can confuse and disorient enemies. Salt thrives where Jun (the protagonist) can’t and is a companion always worth bringing along for the ride.
As a special surprise, gamesom 2026 also revealed a new companion character for Jun to adventure alongside in EXODUS, Emrys, a member of the Deva celestial race. Like Mass Effect, EXODUS doesn’t shy away from delivering in-depth worldbuilding, and this includes the lore behind each companion that will join Jun on the Sci-Fi adventure. Emrys plays a support role, and can launch Remnant Orbs that drain and weaken enemies while feeding the stolen power back into Jun.
Because fans are anticipating EXODUS, the title has already surpassed 500,000 wishlists reaching the first milestone of rewards. The first milestone grants players a Celestial Star Map Decoration for their in-game apartment, and unlocks a new batch of concept art and the first available EXODUS music track, “Elegy for a Forgotten World”. That track in its entirety can be heard from the video below.
As revealed at gamescom 2026, EXODUS releases on April 7, 2027, and will be made available for the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store. With gamescom 2026 ongoing, fans can find more coverage right here at CGMagazine.
