Is Osiris Reborn Like Mass Effect? Comparison After BioWare

Side by side

What Owlcat took from Mass Effect

Owlcat does not hide it. Producer Chernenko: “The original Mass Effect trilogy was absolutely an inspiration to the team.” Creative Director Mishulin said they want “all the players familiar with cover shooters… and, of course, with Mass Effect to feel at home.” Asked at Gamescom 2025 whether the Mass Effect 2 suicide mission inspired how crew members off the field can still help, the answer was “That was the inspiration, yes.”

So the structure will feel familiar: you build a captain, take two squadmates into cover-based firefights, return to your ship between missions to talk to your crew, and can romance some of them. Companions can die for good (see companions).

Where it is different

• No classes. Instead of picking Soldier or Adept, you spend points in four open skill trees and lean on gear. The details are on character creation.
• Origins with teeth. Being an Earther, Martian or Belter changes where you are welcome. A Martian is the only origin that can land on Mars early, and Ceres is hostile to Martians after the Canterbury.
• A twin, not a blank slate. Your sibling J is a companion and follows the look you choose for your captain.
• Hidden morality. No blue and red dialogue meters. A hidden archetype system and three factions with long memories shape the epilogues.
• Grounded setting. One solar system, no alien species to recruit, and Expanse-style physics including zero-G combat with mag boots. Owlcat says it is “humbled” by the comparison but “we make our story a little bit differently.”
• One game, not a trilogy. About 20–30 hours by Owlcat’s estimate, and set alongside the first two Expanse books (see timeline).

BioWare is closed. What that means here

On October 21, 2026, EA shut down BioWare, cut around 400 jobs and cancelled the next Mass Effect, according to Bloomberg, Forbes and VGC. That left two 2027 RPGs openly built in Mass Effect’s image: Osiris Reborn and Archetype Entertainment’s Exodus. GameRant noted the next day that both are still slated for 2027. For how those two compare, see Osiris Reborn vs Exodus.

Owlcat responded publicly. On October 22 it posted a farewell video: “BioWare has always inspired us, and it’s hard for us to say goodbye to our idols. Thank you for everything. Many of us would not have ended up in the gaming industry if not for your legacy.” A few days later the game’s account backed the fan campaign: “The Expanse show was saved by fans in the past, so the #SaveMassEffect movement has our full support.”

None of this changes Osiris Reborn’s schedule. Steam still lists it for Q2 2027, and the paid Beta is the only way to play it now.

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