The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Reaches One Million Steam Wishlists as Owlcat Games Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Russian game development studio Owlcat Games has reached a significant milestone as their upcoming action RPG The Expanse: Osiris Reborn has been added to one million Steam wishlists. This achievement comes at a particularly meaningful time, coinciding with the studio’s tenth anniversary celebration. The developers expressed profound gratitude to their dedicated fanbase for this remarkable show of support and anticipation for the upcoming title.
Owlcat Games, founded in 2016, has established itself as a prominent force in the role-playing game genre. The studio first gained widespread recognition with Pathfinder: Kingmaker, released in 2018, which successfully adapted the beloved tabletop RPG system into a compelling video game experience. This was followed by the critically acclaimed Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous in 2021, and most recently Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader in 2023. Each release has demonstrated the studio’s commitment to deep, narrative-driven RPG experiences with complex character systems and meaningful player choices.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn represents a bold new direction for Owlcat Games, marking their first venture into the action RPG subgenre and their first adaptation of a major science fiction intellectual property. The game is based on The Expanse universe, originally created by authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck under the pen name James S.A. Corey. The franchise began as a series of novels in 2011 and was later adapted into a hugely successful television series that ran for six seasons on Syfy and Amazon Prime Video. The show garnered a passionate fanbase and critical acclaim for its realistic portrayal of space physics, complex political intrigue, and diverse ensemble cast.
The Expanse universe is set in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system, leading to political tensions between Earth, Mars, and the Belt—the asteroid belt communities that mine resources for the inner planets. This rich setting provides fertile ground for storytelling, with themes of inequality, identity, and survival woven throughout. The series is renowned for its hard science fiction approach, depicting space travel with realistic physics including the effects of gravity and acceleration on the human body.
For Owlcat Games, the transition from fantasy-based RPGs to a science fiction action game represents both a challenge and an opportunity. While their previous titles focused on turn-based or real-time with pause combat systems rooted in tabletop mechanics, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn promises a more dynamic action-oriented experience. Industry analysts suggest this pivot could help the studio reach new audiences while their existing fanbase provides a solid foundation of support, as evidenced by the impressive wishlist numbers.
The milestone of one million wishlists is particularly noteworthy in the current gaming landscape. Steam wishlists serve as a crucial metric for publishers and developers to gauge market interest and plan production accordingly. Studies have shown that wishlist numbers can be strong predictors of launch success, with conversion rates typically ranging from 10 to 20 percent on release day. This suggests The Expanse: Osiris Reborn could potentially see between 100,000 to 200,000 sales within its initial launch window, though actual performance will depend on numerous factors including reviews, marketing, and release timing.
The anniversary celebration also provides an opportunity to reflect on Owlcat Games’ journey from a modest startup to an internationally recognized studio. Over the past decade, the company has grown significantly, expanding its team and technical capabilities while maintaining its core identity as a creator of story-rich RPG experiences. The studio’s success story is particularly notable given the challenges facing game developers worldwide, including rising development costs and an increasingly competitive market. As fans eagerly await more details about The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, the one million wishlist achievement stands as a testament to both the enduring appeal of The Expanse franchise and the trust that gamers have placed in Owlcat Games’ creative vision.
