The Expanse: A Telltale Series ‘Premieres’ July 27th

Oye, beltalowda.

Developer Deck Nine Games has partnered with publisher Telltale Games (makers of such episodic narrative titles as The Walking Dead, Tales from the Borderlands, Minecraft: Story Mode, and more) to create a game set in the universe of the beloved cult sci-fi franchise The Expanse. The aptly named The Expanse: A Telltale Series, starring fan-favorite heroine Camina Drummer, will slot its plot in prior to the events of the show as Drummer and crew eke out a hard living at the edge of civilized space aboard a scavenger starship.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series was announced back at The 2021 Game Awards, but we now know when we can begin our journey through Drummer’s eyes, undoubtedly making some tough narrative decisions along the way. The first of five episodes will release on July 27th for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC exclusively via the Epic Games Store.

I would be happy to tell you all about The Expanse seeing as I am an unabashed superfan; however, we have a publishing blurb on the upcoming game that does a fine job of getting to the point:

The first new IP announced by Telltale since the company re-formed in 2019, The Expanse: A Telltale Series is set prior to the events of Alcon Television Group’s critically acclaimed and award-winning television series which streams on Amazon Prime Video. Players take on the role of Camina Drummer (played by actress Cara Gee in both the game and TV series), the XO of a scavenger crew on the hunt for a mysterious treasure on the edges of The Belt.

As Drummer, players must deal with a mix of powerful personalities, square off against a bloody mutiny, explore locations beyond The Belt and, most of all, make tough decisions that will decide the fate of The Artemis crew. Scour shipwrecks, use mag boots to walk on walls and ceilings, and utilize Zero-G thrusters to float through sections of ships and the open expanse of space in the largest and most immersive exploration of any Telltale game to date.

Pre-orders will go live on June 1st. Players who pre-order The Expanse: A Telltale Games on either PlayStation or the Epic Games Store will get to play a day ahead of schedule. Additionally, two versions of the game exist: the Standard Edition costs $39.99 USD; the Deluxe Edition, which includes DLC, will fetch $44.99 USD. (As of this writing, there’s been no word on what exactly that DLC will include.)

Interestingly, Telltale Games has vowed to launch a new episode’s worth of content every two weeks following July 27th, meaning if everything goes according to plan the game will wrap with its fifth-episode finale on September 21st. This is… quite a rapid release schedule relative to most of Telltale Games’ past projects, however, and if I’m being honest, I worry there’s an added dose of crunch involved. Here’s hoping otherwise.