EXODUS: A Game Where Your Choices Can Change the Future

EXODUS: A Game Where Your Choices Can Change the Future

What if a few minutes of your adventure could mean years for someone else?

Imagine travelling across the galaxy, exploring unknown worlds, fighting alien enemies and searching for technology that could save humanity. Sounds like a familiar sci-fi game setup.

Now imagine returning home after what feels like a short journey…. but only to discover that years, decades, or even generations have passed.

That is where EXODUS becomes different.

Developed by Archetype Entertainment, EXODUS is a cinematic, single-player, third-person sci-fi action-adventure RPG set 40,000 years in the future. Players step into the role of Jun Aslan, a salvager who begins a journey which could transform him into a Traveler and potentially change the future of humanity.

For students and aspiring game developers, EXODUS is not interesting only because of its futuristic visuals or action-packed gameplay. It is interesting because of how it combines gameplay, storytelling, world-building and player choice into one experience.

From Salvager to Traveler

At the beginning of the journey, Jun Aslan isn’t a legendary hero. Instead, he is a just salvager fighting for the future of his homeworld.

Players will explore ancient ruins, derelict alien ships and forgotten locations while searching for powerful Remnants…technology and artifacts that could help reshape humanity’s future. Along the way, Jun faces hostile Celestial enemies, rival human factions and dangerous creatures.

This “ordinary person becoming a hero” structure is familiar in movies and games, but it gives players an important connection with the protagonist.

You don’t simply control a powerful character.

You grow with him.

And that is an important lesson for aspiring game designers: a strong protagonist doesn’t always need to start as the strongest character in the world. Sometimes the journey is what makes the character memorable.

The Game Mechanic That Changes Everything: Time Dilation

One of the most exciting concepts in EXODUS is Time Dilation.

In the game’s universe, interstellar travel takes place at extreme speeds. For Travelers, a relatively short journey can mean much more time passing for people back home.

The developers have built the game’s narrative around this concept. Choices made during a journey can affect relationships, missions and people who remain behind and those consequences can continue across generations.

Think about that from a game-design perspective.

In many games:

Choice → Immediate consequence

EXODUS wants to explore something more complex:

Choice → Time passes → Consequence → New generation → New consequence

This creates a fascinating storytelling system.

A decision you make today might not show its full impact until much later in the game.

And sometimes, you may never personally experience the consequences.

Your Crew Matters

EXODUS isn’t only about Jun.

Players will build a crew made up of specialists, soldiers, mercenaries, scholars and Awakened animals. Their abilities and relationships can influence both combat and decision-making.

This makes the companion system particularly interesting.

Your crew isn’t simply a collection of characters with different abilities.

They can become part of the emotional story.

You might fight alongside someone.

You might develop a relationship with them.

You might save them.

Or you might lose them.

And your decisions can influence what happens next.

For students learning game design, this demonstrates an important principle:

Characters should have a purpose beyond filling a screen.

A well-designed companion can contribute to gameplay, story, world-building and emotional engagement at the same time.

Combat Meets Creativity

EXODUS also brings a strong action component.

Jun uses the Recycler, a weapon that can be upgraded and modified, while the Gauntlet allows him to combine alien technology into new abilities. Players can approach encounters through direct combat, stealth or dialogue depending on the situation.

This is where gameplay design becomes important.

Giving players multiple ways to approach a problem creates something more valuable than simply giving them more weapons.

It gives them agency.

A player may think:

“Should I fight?”

“Should I sneak past?”

“Can I solve this through conversation?”

Those decisions make the player feel like they are participating in the story rather than simply watching it.

Why Students Should Pay Attention to EXODUS

For a student interested in gaming, EXODUS offers lessons far beyond entertainment.

Game Designers

Look at how the developers connect a science-fiction concept—Time Dilation—with the actual structure of player choices.

Narrative Designers

Study how character relationships and long-term consequences can make decisions feel meaningful.

3D Artists & Environment Artists

The game’s ancient ruins, alien technology, creatures and futuristic worlds demonstrate how visual design can help communicate the history of a fictional universe.

Game Developers

The combination of combat, exploration, weapons, abilities, AI characters and interactive environments shows how multiple systems need to work together inside a modern RPG.

Cinematic Artists

EXODUS also demonstrates how cinematic presentation can work alongside gameplay to create a more immersive experience.

And this is exactly why students should look beyond simply playing games.

Start asking:

How was this designed?

Why did the developer make this choice?

How does the game make me feel?

Why does this character matter?

How does the environment tell its own story?

That shift from player to observer to creator is where game-development learning begins.

A Universe Bigger Than One Game

EXODUS is also being developed as a broader science-fiction universe.

The official EXODUS ecosystem includes additional lore and storytelling materials such as a Traveler’s Guide, timeline content, tabletop RPG books and novels.

For the gaming community, this is an interesting example of transmedia world-building.

A successful game universe doesn’t necessarily have to exist only inside a game.

Its characters, history and stories can expand into books, tabletop experiences, animation, videos and other forms of entertainment.

For aspiring creators, this raises another important question:

If you created your own game universe, how could you expand it beyond the game?

The Gaming Industry Is Becoming More Than Games

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Today’s gaming industry brings together many creative and technical disciplines.

Game development can involve:

  • Game Design
  • Programming
  • 2D & 3D Art
  • Animation
  • UI/UX Design
  • VFX
  • Sound Design
  • Narrative Design
  • Cinematics
  • AI and Technical Art
  • Production and Project Management

A game like EXODUS is a reminder that modern games are collaborative productions involving people with very different skill sets.

For students, that means there isn’t just one path into the gaming industry.

You might be a programmer.

You might be a character artist.

You might design levels.

You might write stories.

You might create animations.

Or you might combine several of these skills.

When Can We Play EXODUS?

The wait now has a confirmed date.

EXODUS launches on April 7, 2027.

The game is planned for:

  • PlayStation 5
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • PC– Steam
  • PC–Epic Games Store

The official website also reports that the game has already crossed 500,000 wishlists, unlocking the first set of community milestone rewards.

Final Thought: What Would You Choose?

The most interesting thing about EXODUS may not be its futuristic weapons.

It may not be the alien worlds.

It may not even be the massive creatures or cinematic presentation.

It could be the question sitting behind the entire experience:

What if your decisions could outlive you?

For gamers, that could create a fascinating RPG experience.

For aspiring game developers, it provides something else…just a case study in how a simple science-fiction idea can become the foundation for game mechanics, narrative design, character development and world-building.

So when you next play a game, don’t just ask:

“Did I enjoy it?”

Also ask:

“What can I learn from it?”

Because every great game can be more than something you play.

It can be something that teaches you how to create.

How Many Players Does a Live Service Game Like Concord Need to Survive?

How Many Players Does a Live Service Game Like Concord Need to Survive?

When determining how many players a game like Concord needs to survive, it’s important to consider the many factors that influence the sustainability of live service games. Recently, Sony announced that it would be pausing the live service of Concord, its new hero shooter, which surprised few in the gaming community. Within just days of the game’s launch, reports indicated poor sales figures: an estimated 25,000 copies sold, with 10,000 on Steam and 15,000 on PlayStation. The player count was even more concerning. On August 24, the day after launch, Concord peaked at just 697 concurrent players, according to SteamDB. This number plummeted quickly, with only 39 players recorded just days later.

The decision to shut down a live service game is never made lightly. Multiplayer games, especially ones in the live service model, are incredibly expensive to maintain. The costs of running servers, providing ongoing updates, and maintaining the staff needed to manage live operations can quickly outstrip the revenue that comes in from a small player base. As a result, active player count becomes one of the most critical factors in determining whether a live service game is viable.

What Defines Survival for a Live Service Game?

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The number of active players a game like Concord needs to stay operational varies widely depending on the game’s structure, financial backing, and business model. According to Piers Harding-Rolls, head of games research at Ampere Analysis, this number can fluctuate drastically. “For one game, it might be 200,000 monthly active users, for another two million,” Harding-Rolls explained.

Several elements influence whether a game can survive. These include the research and development (R&D) investment made before and after launch, the salaries and staffing costs, marketing expenses, infrastructure and server delivery costs, and even the licensing and publishing costs. Each game is different, and as a result, each one has a unique “break-even” point.

 

Beyond monetary factors, multiplayer games face the challenge of maintaining enough players to make the experience enjoyable for everyone. If there aren’t enough players to matchmake quickly, those who are still engaged may leave due to long wait times, creating a snowball effect that further shrinks the player base. This issue compounds in regions with smaller populations, like Australia, where players are often spread too thin to provide smooth matchmaking.

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The Increasingly Short Lifespan of Live Service Games

Concord is not an outlier when it comes to live service games struggling to maintain a sustainable player base. In the past two years alone, dozens of multiplayer games have been shut down, often within a short time after launch. For example, Tencent’s free-to-play shooter Synched was shut down just one year after its release, with only 10,000 daily active users and concurrent players ranging between 500 and 1,000 at the end.

Other titles have faced similar fates. In February 2023 alone, eight different games, including Apex Legends Mobile, Rumbleverse, Knockout City, and CrossfireX, announced their closures within the span of one week. Each of these games struggled to maintain a large enough player base to justify their continued development and server maintenance.

One of the most common strategies for saving struggling live service games is switching to a free-to-play model, which many developers hope will increase player count. For instance, Knockout City, developed by Velan Studios, transitioned to free-to-play after parting ways with publisher Electronic Arts. Despite this, the game still ranged between 1,500 and 5,000 peak concurrent users (CCUs) and ultimately shut down after just two years.

How Many Players Are Needed?

The number of players needed for a game to survive depends heavily on the type of game being operated. Guha Bala, co-founder of Velan Studios, explains that for a PvP (player-versus-player) multiplayer game based on skill, a minimum of 10,000 CCUs per region is needed to ensure smooth matchmaking and reduce latency issues. This number can drop to 2,000 CCUs if certain rollback strategies are employed, like those used in Knockout City, to maintain a good experience in regions like North America and Western Europe.

For games not reliant on matchmaking, like PvE (player-versus-environment) games, a smaller player base can still sustain the game. Bala estimates that PvE games can function with 1,000 to 3,000 CCUs per region, as these games can rely on bots to fill in for absent human players.

The Business Model Factor

The game’s business model is often an even bigger factor in whether a live service game can survive. Free-to-play games, for example, rely on a steady stream of revenue from in-game purchases. Bala suggests that at least 5% of a free-to-play game’s total user base must spend money in the game to cover the costs of keeping it online. For some titles, this could mean requiring a player base of 50,000 or more active users, which poses a significant challenge for many new games entering the market.

In contrast, Concord was a premium game with a $40 price point, much like Helldivers 2. The game also didn’t feature microtransactions or a battle pass, meaning all its revenue had to come from upfront sales. Given that the game’s development team, Firewalk Studios, had at least 150 staff members, the costs of maintaining Concord would have been substantial. Bala estimates that a 50-person team alone would cost around $500,000 a month in labor expenses, meaning a $20 game would need to sell 25,000 copies per month just to break even. With Concord priced at $40 and a much larger team, its sales numbers were likely far short of what Sony required.

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The Future of Live Service Games

Despite the financial difficulties, some developers believe that the future of live service games may lie in the premium model. Bala suggests that live service games built around a traditional sales model may offer more room for innovation than free-to-play titles, where monetization and paywalls often take precedence over creating emotionally engaging experiences.

Whether Concord will be able to bounce back from its initial struggles remains to be seen. Sony and Firewalk Studios have expressed interest in exploring other ways to take the title forward, but the future is uncertain. One thing is clear: launching and sustaining a live service game in today’s market is more challenging than ever. With industry giants like Fortnite, GTA Online, and Roblox dominating the space, new entrants face an uphill battle in attracting and retaining players.

In the years to come, it’s likely we’ll see more live service games struggle to survive as developers experiment with new business models, gameplay mechanics, and strategies for player retention. For games like Concord, the path forward may involve significant changes, or it may end up being one of many short-lived titles in an increasingly competitive landscape.