David Gaider Joins The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Narrative Team

David Gaider, a writer whose past work includes Baldur's Gate 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age: Origins, is collaborating with Owlcat Games on The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. The upcoming science-fiction role-playing game is planned for release next year, and Gaider says he is contributing to selected parts of its narrative.

The news gives Owlcat's adaptation of The Expanse another notable narrative connection as it works toward launch. Gaider did not work on BioWare's Mass Effect series, but Osiris Reborn has drawn natural comparisons to that style of RPG: it is a sci-fi adventure with third-person shooter controls, a party of companions, and relationship-building at the center of the experience.

In a post on Bluesky, Gaider confirmed his involvement while also explaining why the project appealed to him personally. He said he is working alongside his responsibilities at Summerfall and has been collaborating with Owlcat's team on certain narrative aspects of the game. Gaider also described The Expanse as one of his longtime favorite series, making the chance to participate an opportunity he was eager to accept.

A veteran RPG writer joins Owlcat's new sci-fi project

Gaider's name carries considerable weight for players who follow story-focused role-playing games. His earlier career included work on Baldur's Gate 2, a landmark party-based RPG. He later wrote several memorable characters for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, another game widely associated with companion stories, player choice, and character-driven sci-fi storytelling.

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He went on to lead the narrative for Dragon Age: Origins, helping establish the tone and storytelling foundation for BioWare's fantasy series. Those credits make his presence on The Expanse: Osiris Reborn especially fitting. Although the setting, gameplay perspective, and fictional universe are very different from Dragon Age, the new game's emphasis on a crew of companions gives the narrative team a major opportunity to create interpersonal drama alongside its larger spacefaring conflict.

Gaider's announcement does not specify every part of the story on which he is working. The wording is important: he is collaborating on particular elements rather than presenting himself as the game's overall narrative lead. Still, even a focused contribution from a writer with experience across fantasy and science-fiction RPGs is a meaningful addition to a project built around choice, crew dynamics, and a recognizable sci-fi setting.

"Alongside my work at Summerfall, I've also been collaborating with the Owlcat Games team on The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, focusing on certain aspects of the game's narrative," Gaider said. "The Expanse has long been one of my favourite series, and so obviously I jumped at the opportunity to be involved."

Why Mass Effect comparisons keep coming up

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is not a Mass Effect game, and Gaider's history with BioWare does not change that. However, the similarities in broad design direction are easy to see. Both are science-fiction RPGs that place players in direct control of a protagonist during third-person combat, while also framing the adventure around a broader team of allies. Players will build relationships with companions as they progress, a feature that has long been central to the appeal of character-driven RPGs.

That comparison has become part of the conversation around Owlcat's game for another reason. Last month, the studio publicly supported the Save Mass Effect movement, creating a more direct link between the developer and fans hoping to see more from BioWare's sci-fi universe. Owlcat is making its own original entry in The Expanse setting rather than taking on Mass Effect, but the studio's support helped underline the shared audience interest in ambitious, companion-focused space RPGs.

The Gaider news does not mean that Osiris Reborn will replicate BioWare's approach beat for beat. It instead highlights the ingredients that have made the comparison appealing: a cinematic third-person format, a science-fiction setting, and the possibility that crew relationships can be just as important as the mission itself. Those are expectations Owlcat will have to meet on its own terms, particularly because The Expanse already has a distinct identity and an established fanbase.

Owlcat's RPG record offers reason for interest

Owlcat Games has increasingly built a reputation through large, systems-heavy RPGs that look back to classic computer role-playing traditions. Its past releases include Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. Those games are notably different from the third-person shooter approach seen in Osiris Reborn, but they demonstrate the studio's familiarity with sprawling campaigns, player decisions, party management, and dense fictional worlds.

That history makes Osiris Reborn an interesting next step. It is not simply another attempt to repeat the format that Owlcat knows best. The game appears to be moving into a more immediately action-oriented presentation while retaining the kinds of companion and narrative ideas that suit the developer's strengths. Bringing in experienced collaborators such as Gaider suggests that the studio is treating the storytelling side of that transition as a major priority.

There is also a natural match between Owlcat's established interests and The Expanse universe. The studio has often worked with settings full of political tension, competing factions, moral compromises, and characters carrying conflicting loyalties. The Expanse offers fertile ground for those concerns. The setting's reputation rests in part on the human stakes within its science-fiction premise, and a role-playing game can give players room to engage with those pressures through their own decisions and relationships.

A promising beta, but work remains before release

A beta for The Expanse: Osiris Reborn was released earlier this year. Early impressions described it as promising, though rough around the edges. That is not an unusual position for a game still in development, particularly one attempting a substantial change in style for its developer. The important question is how effectively Owlcat can use that feedback to improve the experience before the planned release next year.

The studio has been active in responding to feedback following the beta. That responsiveness matters because the game faces several simultaneous challenges: making its third-person action feel satisfying, ensuring that the RPG systems support meaningful choices, and delivering companions players will want to know beyond the immediate plot. A beta can reveal issues with pacing, controls, technical stability, and communication of game systems, while player responses can also help a developer understand whether the core fantasy of leading a crew is coming through clearly.

Gaider's involvement is not a guarantee that every narrative component will land perfectly, nor does it answer the many questions that remain about Osiris Reborn. But it does add an experienced voice to the project at a time when Owlcat is still refining it. For fans of Gaider's past work, it is an encouraging sign that his interest in the universe has led to an active role rather than a simple public endorsement.

What to watch as Osiris Reborn approaches next year

The clearest takeaway is that Owlcat is assembling a project with recognizable ambitions. The Expanse: Osiris Reborn aims to combine a well-known science-fiction universe with a style of companion-based RPG often associated with Mass Effect. Meanwhile, Owlcat brings experience in deep role-playing games, and Gaider contributes a background shaped by some of the genre's most influential character-focused adventures.

As development continues, attention will likely remain on how the game balances action with conversation, exploration, and player choice. The quality of its companions may be particularly important. In the RPGs connected to Gaider's career, allies were often not just combat resources; they were perspectives on the setting, sources of conflict, and emotional anchors for the player's journey. Osiris Reborn has the chance to pursue that same kind of crew dynamic within its own universe.

For now, the game remains one to watch rather than a finished statement of what Owlcat can accomplish in this format. The beta showed potential alongside clear areas for improvement, and the developer's ongoing response to feedback will shape the final result. With a release planned for next year and a veteran RPG writer now confirmed among its narrative collaborators, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn has added another compelling reason for science-fiction RPG fans to keep it on their radar.