The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is set to release on Xbox Game Pass day one, with an opportunity for particularly devoted fans to play the game in a special Closed Beta that’s coming soon. The studio making The Expanse‘s first full-featured RPG game is none other than Owlcat Games: a tenured CRPG production house with a penchant for engaging stories and dialogue, making The Expanse: Osiris Reborn a seminal release in more ways than one.
It takes barely a glance to be able to tell that The Expanse: Osiris Reborn has Mass Effect vibes. On top of both games being high-profile cover-based third-person shooter RPGs, Owlcat Games is also transitioning from being a dedicated classic RPG development studio to something closer to AAA productions. BioWare did something very similar with Mass Effect back in 2007, so the hope is that Owlcat, too, will use Osiris Reborn to pivot into making games beyond CRPGs alone.
Interview: The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Dev Talks Companions, Character Builds, and More
Game Rant sits down with Owlcat Games’ Creative Director to discuss the studio’s upcoming third-person action RPG, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn on Game Pass Day One, With a Beta Coming Soon
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn was a big highlight of the latest Xbox Partner Preview event. The game is jotted down for a tentative Spring 2027 release with day-one Xbox Game Pass availability, but the big new piece of news is that Owlcat Games is set to release a closed beta version of the game on Xbox Series X/S devices come April 22. Owlcat Games’ shift to making third-person shooters is a huge deal in its own right, but being able to access a work-in-progress version of the game is very promising for fans of the studio’s prior output. Notably, Owlcat Games has made a habit of releasing closed beta versions of its RPGs to supporters, and Osiris Reborn will be no different.
The closed beta for The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will be available for all Founders-level supporters of the game’s production. This means purchasing either the Miller’s Pack DLC for the game or the Collector’s Edition via the official Owlcat website. The really important bit to note about the closed beta, though, is that it’s going to be available all the way up until the game releases, which means there’s no real rush to jump in as soon as possible. It makes sense, too, since Osiris Reborn has no multiplayer components to speak of, which is what usually leads to limited-time access for beta players.
As part of the Xbox Partner Preview event, Owlcat also released a new gameplay trailer for Osiris Reborn that is sure to thrill Mass Effect fans. We now also know that in-game crew members will have an effect on gameplay even when they’re not a part of your active fireteam, though Owlcat hasn’t expounded much on this just yet. One thing Owlcat did clarify was that it’s upping the ante compared to its previous CRPG offerings with the Exploit system. Exploits afford players an opportunity to leverage the environment to eliminate entire groups of enemies at once, for example by blowing out a pressurized window.
With April 22 virtually just around the corner, it won’t be long before players get to see for themselves how Owlcat Games intends to pull off its first non-isometric action RPG. As the studio has never had hands-on experience making games like these, there’s plenty of room for errors. The closed beta testing period may be just what Owlcat needs for a final polishing pass on a project such as this, however. Xbox Game Pass has plenty of excellent games to choose from, and with a bit of luck, Owlcat’s next big thing will be one more item on the list.
- Developer(s)
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Owlcat Games
- Publisher(s)
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Owlcat Games
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
- Number of Players
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Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unknown
