The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is a Mass Effect-shaped rocket that could finally propel Owlcat into the RPG mainstream: "We’d been feeling a growing ambition to go bigger"

Owlcat Games pushes the RPG genre forward at every turn. By bringing the uncompromising depth of old-school CRPGs to the modern era, it has found success upon success. CRPG devotees consider Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous to be one of the genre's greatest offerings, while 2023's Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader captured the scope of Games Workshop's cutthroat universe with a then-unseen level of faithfulness and ambition.

For many fans, though, Owlcat's best is still to come. Upcoming CRPG Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy looks to build upon Rogue Trader in every way possible, while The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will see Owlcat venture into yet another beloved sci-fi setting – this time, in the form of a third-person action RPG where the player must navigate a galaxy poised to collapse around them.

Changing perspectives

Set in the 24th century, where humans have colonized the stars, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is a choice-driven RPG positioned against a political powderkeg. As a mercenary caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, players will need to lead their space ship's crew and companions through a galactic conspiracy. Combat should excite Mass Effect fans: it's a cover-based third-person shooter, and similarly to BioWare's series, players will be able to build relationships, and fight alongside two companions, who can be given orders during shootouts.

Given the success of Owlcat's work in the Warhammer universe, The Expanse feels like a natural next step for the studio. Speaking to GamesRadar+, game design director Leonid Rastorguev explains why Owlcat was drawn to adapting the series as a game.

"As a studio, we’d been feeling a growing ambition to go bigger, and The Expanse turned out to be a perfect fit for bringing that idea to life," he explains. "It has all the components needed to tell an epic, high-stakes story while still preserving something that’s very important to us: a grounded, personal narrative centered on the player character and their companions.

On top of that, The Expanse has an exceptional level of attention to detail and world-building. That depth helps us create the feeling that the player isn’t just observing the story, but truly living through it."

"And of course, the universe of The Expanse works extremely well with the more cinematic approach we chose for the game," Rastorguev adds. "It has enough momentum and visually striking moments to turn the experience into a dynamic and engaging adventure."

Owlcat is drawn to these settings as fans first and foremost, says Rastorguev. "It’s not unusual to hear shouts of 'For the Emperor!' in our Warhammer work chats, along with photos of freshly painted miniatures. And in The Expanse channels, people regularly argue about the correct way to perform a ship docking maneuver or how microgravity should work on spin stations."

Speaking as a fan of Owlcat, I adore the studio's boutique approach to framing each of its settings – something that shines particularly in the transition from Rogue Trader to Dark Heresy. Still, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn's third-person format feels particularly boundary-pushing.

"Honestly, it’s easier to name the areas where Osiris Reborn didn’t create new challenges for us – and there aren’t many," says Rastorguev. "This project operates on a completely different scale compared to anything we’ve done before, with a new technology stack, a different gameplay philosophy, and a much stronger focus on cinematic presentation.

That said, we approached these challenges methodically: bringing in specialists with relevant experience, building prototypes to test assumptions, reworking our pipelines, and iterating constantly."

To "avoid sounding too abstract," Rastorguev points to three particular challenges that he feels Owlcat has not only risen to meet, but done so with exceptional results.

"First, zero-gravity gameplay. We even released a dedicated dev diary on this topic, and it still doesn’t cover all the complexity behind its implementation. Second, the work our VFX team has done on environmental damage – visual destruction at this level looks incredibly impactful and satisfying. And finally, attention to detail. That’s not the work of any single department, but a true team effort. From incidental street conversations to advertising screens and news broadcasts, these small elements help make the world feel alive and greatly enhance immersion."

Speaking once more as a fan, Owlcat feels on the verge of finding true mainstream recognition. The developer is already beloved by CRPG fans (for good reason!) but just as Baldur's Gate 3 made Larian a household name, as did The Witcher 3 for CD Projekt Red, it seems like the broader RPG community is yet to reach Owlcat's catalog. As an action RPG within touching distance of Mass Effect's cultural appeal, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn could be the hit that introduces Owlcat to the wider world – though Rastorguev doesn't concern himself with the bigger picture.

"It’s very difficult to plan or predict hits in this industry, so I wouldn’t try to make any forecasts," he explains. "What I do know is that there’s a very high level of motivation and dedication across the team—and I don’t mean just the team working on The Expanse, but the studio as a whole. That’s one of the key ingredients for making great games. As for everything else, I’d rather leave that to the players to judge."