Renegade Announces It Will Publish Exodus Roleplaying Game in 2026

The Exodus Roleplaying Game, an RPG based on the upcoming Exodus video game developed by Wizards of the Coast's Archetype Entertainment, will be published by Renegade Game Studios this year. Renegade announced the plans today at GAMA Expo, with Renegade initially publishing the Exodus Traveler's Handbook and the Creature Catalog for the RPG in August. From the sounds of the press release, Renegade has plans to further the Exodus line of RPGs, similar to its Vampire: The Masquerade and World of Darkness lines. The Exodus RPG is a sci-fi game that uses 5E as its underlying engine.

Exodus was developed by James Ohlen, who was the lead of Archetype Entertainment until earlier this year. After leaving Bioware (where he was the lead designer for Baldur's Gate among other games), he founded Arcanum Worlds, an RPG studio that developed several 5E supplements. Ohlen also developed the Exodus Roleplaying Game, where it was released to a select group of Exodus early adopters.

What's notable about the announcement is that Wizards of the Coast is working with another company to produce and publish the Exodus game. The Exodus RPG's rollout has been a bit odd, with no fanfare outside of a few posts on Archetype Entertainment's social media and website. Exodus doesn't come out until 2027, so the timing is a bit odd, but at least Renegade's partnership with Wizards of the Coast guarantees a wider release for the game.

 

[Gozzy]

This is great news if it means we finally get some support for the TTRPG. Having tried, and failed, to engage with Wizards before running EXODUS at Dragonmeet last year I got the impression they had no idea what to do with it. It felt like the game was a contractual obligation to Ohlen and a passion project for Chris Cocks rather than an actual priority. Let's hope Renegade give it some love as the setting is excellent, even if the game needs more development.

 

[Dire Bare]

I continue to be surprised at just how deeply risk averse WotC seems to be with regards to RPGs and D&D -- especially since the big swings they are taking with MtG seem to be paying off. D&D is more popular than it has ever been with a huge cultural footprint and use base. You would think they would leverage that.

Hasbro has found success bringing licensed properties into Magic . . . but have they tried a new collectible card game to complement their star game? Not for a long while. They did try a Transformers CCG a few years ago that I loved, but it didn't do well. And there wasn't much before that, nothing after.

Likewise, how long has it been since WotC has published a non-D&D rpg game? I think the 4E based Gamma World was the last one.

It seems Hasbro/WotC has shifted from being a toy and game company to an IP-owning company that occasionally makes games and toys . . . they now license out a LOT of their properties.

Is this weird? Foolish? It's certainly a different way to approach things . . . but I think I'm happy since their chosen partner for tabletop games, Renegade Games, does a fantastic job with everything!

 

[Dire Bare]

So is this a new edition of the game that went to backers?

The books released so far, "The Traveler's Handbook" and the "Exodus Encyclopedia" weren't crowdfunded, nor has the video game been crowdfunded (yet). Rather, if you had signed up for the Exodus newsletter, you got the offer to purchase the books, which were available for a very limited time. The setting is deep, very D&D in space while also feeling very different and very sci-fi, and has a growing number of fan(atics) online. The two books released so far are gorgeous and use a lot of the concept and early in-game art. The rules so far seem solid, if rough.

The Exodus team hasn't released a lot of information about what's next. Did they plan a full release of the TTRPG? If/when that happens, would it be a "new" or cleaned up edition? What other books might be on the horizon, when can we expect them? Nothing but cricket chirps. A lot of the Exodus fandom is excited, but frustrated at the lack of info and slow pace.

Now that Renegade Games is going to take-over publishing Exodus . . . we know that the game is actually happening! We know the first two titles, a new printing of the Traveler's Handbook and a new Creature Catalog. And . . . that's all we know! 2026 baby, this year!

My guess is that the new printings will be just that, new printings and not a new "edition" in the sense most D&D fans use the term. The rules will probably be cleaned up, the book might see some rewriting . . . but I'm going to guess it'll be mostly the same book. The Creature Catalog will be a new book, although it might include some creatures already released in the two existing books.

Hopefully Renegade will share some more info soon!

 

[Dire Bare]

I have actually kind of dismissed the Renegade Hasbro games. Are they actually good?

Well, YMMV, of course, but I think they are doing an amazing job with just about every release. They certainly seem to be doing well. Board games, card games, and RPG games based on Transformers, GI Joe, Power Rangers, My Little Pony, Robo Rally, Axis & Allies, and more . . . it's a lot of stuff released on more on the near horizon.

All of Renegade's RPG's based on Hasbro properties use the "Essence 20" system which is a variant of D&D 5E, similar, but not directly compatible. But all of the games are cross-compatible with each other and they even have cross-over products.

I own the Transformers RPG, both the core book and all of the supplements and I am in love with the game. Sadly, none of my local group is interested in even giving it a try, so I might have to try an online game at some point . . .

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Was that the funky one with the collectable cards? I thought it was fun and great for one-shots, which it seemed engineered to do. I use the cardboard tokens for sci-fi games to this day.

I dont recall collectable cards" but your traits could be cards, and your character was made up of basically two half page sized cards thst you get randomly.

Ive heard that. I feel like by the time it came out i was already done with 4e as a system and my confidence in WOTC was at a all time low.

I get that, though it is pretty wildly different from 4e proper.

 

[Dire Bare]

Yeah, this sort of reminds me of how Edge Studios is the ttrpg arm of anything Asmodee, especially from former Fantasy Flight IPs. By outsourcing all the non-D&D ttrpgs, they don't get judged by the same expectations and numbers as they do with D&D.

I cynically assume this is because full time Hasbro D&D employees get paid top tier* (for the ttrpg space) and probably live in Seattle while most of the Renegade team gets paid much less.

*I understand that some of the D&D team gets paid six-figures and high five figures, but have no idea how deep that goes down the chain of comman don't how much Hasbro justifies that for living in Seattle. This purely speculation and contains no hills I am willing to die on.

Edge Studios is a subsidiary of Asmodee. Renegade Games is not part of Hasbro.

As you say, Edge seems to be the TTRPG studio for Asmodee. But is Renegade the non-D&D TTRPG studio for Hasbro, even as an independent licensee? Well, so far . . . but I'm not so sure Hasbro/WotC wouldn't be open to another company licensing some of their properties for TTRPGs.

 

[Dire Bare]

I dont recall collectable cards" but your traits could be cards, and your character was made up of basically two half page sized cards thst you get randomly.

I get that, though it is pretty wildly different from 4e proper.

There were collectible cards. They weren't necessary to play, and they were very similar to the collectible cards released for D&D 4E. They added to the cards that came in the boxed sets.

I thought the cards were kinda fun for both games . . . but disliked the CCG nature of them, as did many others. It was a polarizing idea, for sure.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

There were collectible cards. They weren't necessary to play, and they were very similar to the collectible cards released for D&D 4E. They added to the cards that came in the boxed sets.

I thought the cards were kinda fun for both games . . . but disliked the CCG nature of them, as did many others. It was a polarizing idea, for sure.

Wait what??

I played 4e like it was my only hobby and i do not remember anything about collectable cards.

 

[Retreater]

Wait what??

I played 4e like it was my only hobby and i do not remember anything about collectable cards.

Oh yes. There were cards in the 4E era.
For Gamma World there were random packs of Omega Tech and Alpha Mutations. It was recommended that GMs and Players each make their own decks so you could draw from a player deck or GM deck as appropriate. (This is all fresh in my mind because I ran Gamma World 7E - the "4E" version - only a couple years ago.)
If you're interested you can buy the complete set from DriveThru RPG and even have them printed as a deck of cards (which I did). https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/161308/d-d-gamma-world-rpg-booster-cards-gw7e

For D&D 4E there were Fortune Cards. I still have some. They were random booster packs you could buy that would have minor abilities you could use during a game. https://dnd4.fandom.com/wiki/Fortune_Cards

 

[Dire Bare]

Wait what??

I played 4e like it was my only hobby and i do not remember anything about collectable cards.

Yup! They sold 8-card booster packs with rarities, just like for D&D 4E.

Here's some if you want to pick some up . . . eBay Gamma World Booster Packs 2x