12 January 2026

Exodus Developers Discuss The Importance Of Navigating Release Dates (And Avoiding Grand Theft Auto 6)

By newsgame

Epic science fiction role-playing game Exodus was revealed during the 2025 Game Awards to be releasing in early 2027. Initial rumors had suggested that the game would have a 2026 release date. It has not been confirmed whether Exodus’ release date shift was made to avoid clashing with Grand Theft Auto 6, which is currently debuting on November 19, 2026, its second major delay. However, developer Archetype Entertainment revealed that, as a smaller studio, they did have to consider factors such as when Grand Theft Auto 6 would arrive when navigating their own release date.

In a conversation with Game Rant, Archetype Entertainment Vice President and Studio General Manager Chad Robertson, Exodus Game Director Chris King, and Narrative Director Drew Karpyshyn were honest about the need to consider the shifting release dates of major projects. All three have extensive experience in the video game industry, working on titles such as Mass Effect and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and are intimately familiar with the necessity of carefully determining the ideal release date for a game. While they were unable to directly confirm or deny whether Grand Theft Auto 6 was the primary motivator behind the choice to release Exodus in 2027, they indicated that the highly anticipated upcoming game did have at least some impact.

As Archetype’s First Game, Exodus Will Establish A Reputation

Exodus is not Karpyshyn, Robertson, or King’s first game, but it will be the first release from Archetype Entertainment, which was established by Dungeons and Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast in 2019. The stated goal of Archetype Entertainment is to expand Wizards’ profile beyond Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: the Gathering and establish the company within the video gaming space. Robertson acknowledged that the team is very aware that Exodus will play a major role in shaping the studio’s reputation. He said:

“We’re a new studio from a relatively new video game publisher. This game is super important to us to establish Archetype, and establish Wizards [of the Coast] and Hasbro, hopefully, as serious competitors, and people that can make great games that get fans excited.”

A Large Alien from the Exodus Game Awards 2025 Trailer

Because of this, Robertson felt that himself and the rest of Archetype’s leadership were “very cognizant of major release dates to make sure that we don’t put ourselves [in] a window where there’s so much competition that we get kind of lost in the signal.” He was not able to explicitly confirm whether the now-delayed Grand Theft Auto 6 was part of the “competition” that the team was considering, but it is a definite possibility.

The upcoming latest entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise is one of the most anticipated games of the past several years. Currently, it is planned to launch on November 19, 2026. There have been multiple delays regarding Grand Theft Auto 6’s release date — it was initially speculated to be a 2025 release, before being announced for May 2026 and later shifted to its current November plan. Earlier in 2025, multiple publishers indicated that they were holding off on announcing games or were prepared to delay release dates in order to avoid competing with Grand Theft Auto 6, and it is definitely possible that Exodus was one of those titles.

“Everyone’s Figuring Out How To Navigate Timing” — Exodus Is Not The Only Impacted Title

Robertson went on to say that he felt Archetype Entertainment and the Exodus team were not the only ones affected by possible timing concerns regarding major releases such as Grand Theft Auto 6. “We’re not alone,” he said emphatically. “We all have colleagues that are in similar situations with their own games.” He did not specify any names, but Archetype is certainly far from the only studio considering the potential impacts of upcoming major releases in 2026 and beyond.

The current situation is particularly tricky for developers, because it is not outside the realm of possibility that Grand Theft Auto 6 could see another delay into 2027 or even further, meaning that titles such as Exodus shifting their own release dates to that year might not help them in the end. Exodus is a game that already has many eager fans looking forward to its release, but the team is realistic about the fact that many gamers have been waiting over a decade for Grand Theft Auto 6 to come out. The ever-increasing price of games, which was a major topic of discussion throughout 2025, is also a factor developers have to consider — sometimes, players cannot afford to purchase every game they are interested in.

Robertson spoke bluntly regarding his feelings on the current state of game publishing and the game industry in general:

“Everybody’s trying to figure out how to navigate that timing, to make sure that they don’t put [their] game out at a time when people just either don’t have the attention or the resources to purchase another game, whatever it might be.”

Despite concerns regarding navigating the ideal release date, Robertson does have hope that Exodus will reach its intended audience. “We’re certainly hoping that Exodus, [if] we time it right, [if] we’ve made the right game for the right kind of fans, that they’ll love it.” Exodus‘ new trailer at the Game Awards 2025, which provided a more in-depth look at protagonist Jun Aslan and the dangers that threaten Jun’s homeworld, was met with applause and cheers, which definitely seems to indicate that Robertson’s hope is not unfounded.

There is definitely some disappointment among excited fans eager to play Exodus that they will have to wait until 2027 to do so. The game has generated major hype ever since its reveal in 2023 and the announcement of Matthew McConaughey’s role as C. C. Orlev. However, Robertson, King, and Karpyshyn are dedicated to providing the best game experience possible, and are committed to releasing Exodus at the perfect date and time for Archetype Entertainment’s debut game.