Revision 2

Factions

The solar system of The Expanse is defined by the tension between its major political powers. In Osiris Reborn, factions are not just lore entries in a codex. They are living organizations that react to the player, offer quests, sell equipment, and shape the story based on the player's choices and origin. The player's origin (Earther, Martian, or Belter) determines their default standing with each faction, though actions taken during the game can shift those relationships significantly.

United Nations (Earth)

The United Nations governs Earth and, by extension, exerts enormous political and economic influence over the entire solar system. Earth is the most populated world, with tens of billions of people, but it is also a planet dealing with massive unemployment, environmental degradation, and an overreliance on basic income programs that keep much of the population idle. The UN's military and intelligence apparatus spans the system, with significant presence on Luna where Lovell City serves as the de facto capital.

For Earther-origin players, the UN is the familiar authority they grew up under. For Martians, the UN is a rival superpower with more resources but less drive. For Belters, the UN is an oppressive colonial force that exploits Belt labor to maintain inner-planet comfort. In gameplay, the UN represents institutional power: well-funded, well-organized, and slow-moving. Their intelligence networks can provide mission leads and background data, but their bureaucracy means that dealing with the UN involves navigating layers of officials and competing internal agendas.

The UN's primary interest in the game's events is maintaining stability and control. The protomolecule represents a wild card that could shift the balance of power. Various UN factions disagree on how to handle it: some want to study it, some want to weaponize it, and some want to destroy it. The player may find themselves caught between these internal UN factions depending on their choices.

Martian Congressional Republic Navy (MCRN)

Mars is a single-minded society built around the centuries-long project of terraforming their world into something habitable. The Martian Congressional Republic has the most advanced military technology in the system, and the MCRN is a professional, disciplined fighting force that punches well above its weight relative to Mars's population.

Martians view themselves as the future of humanity. Where Earth is stagnant and the Belt is chaotic, Mars has a plan: generations of work toward a green, habitable planet. This sense of purpose gives Martian characters a distinctive attitude that ranges from inspiring to insufferable depending on who you ask. In gameplay, the MCRN offers access to high-end military equipment and well-organized mission support. Aligning with Mars means access to their tech, but it also means navigating their rigid hierarchy and potentially being drawn into political agendas.

Companion Zafar's background as a former MCRN engineer opens doors with Martian contacts but also introduces complications tied to his past service. Players who invest in the Martian relationship may discover that MCRN support comes with strings attached and that the military's interest in the protomolecule is not purely defensive.

Outer Planets Alliance (OPA)

The OPA is less a unified organization and more a loose coalition of political groups, labor unions, militant cells, and advocacy networks that share one common cause: the rights and independence of Belters. Life in the Belt is hard. Air, water, and gravity are not free. Belters work dangerous jobs on mining stations and asteroids, and the fruits of their labor flow inward to Earth and Mars.

The OPA ranges from moderate politicians arguing for better working conditions to radical factions willing to use terrorism. In the game, the player encounters both ends of this spectrum. Helping the OPA can mean assisting dock workers, smuggling medical supplies, or choosing sides in an internal power struggle between pragmatists and extremists. Ceres Station is the OPA's political heartland and the best place to interact with Belt culture and politics.

For Belter-origin players, the OPA represents their people's voice and struggle. For inner-planet characters, the OPA is a complex entity that cannot be easily categorized as ally or enemy. The game reflects the real political complexity of the OPA as depicted in the source material, where well-intentioned moderates and violent radicals share the same banner.

Pinkwater Security

Pinkwater Security is the player character's employer at the start of the game. It is a private military company that contracts with corporations and governments throughout the solar system. Pinkwater operatives handle everything from corporate security to convoy escorts to jobs that hover in the gray area between legal and illegal.

Pinkwater is not a faction in the traditional political sense. They do not have a seat at the table when Earth, Mars, and the Belt negotiate. But they have a presence everywhere, and their operatives move through all three spheres of influence with a degree of freedom that political actors do not enjoy. The player's Pinkwater background is what gives them the connections and skills to navigate the solar system's political conflicts.

As the story progresses, the player's relationship with Pinkwater evolves. Leaving a corporate employer to go rogue aboard a stolen ship is not the kind of thing that goes unnoticed. Former colleagues may be sent to bring the player back, or the company may wash its hands of the situation entirely. Pinkwater Station serves as an early base of operations tied to this faction.

Protogen

Protogen is the primary antagonist faction. A megacorporation with deep connections to inner-planet governments and military-industrial interests, Protogen discovered the protomolecule and has been conducting secret experiments to weaponize it. The Eros incident that kicks off the game's story is a direct result of Protogen's actions.

Protogen operates in the shadows, using shell companies, bribed officials, and private security to keep their activities hidden. Their resources are enormous, and their willingness to experiment on human subjects (including Project Caliban's hybrid soldiers) makes them a uniquely dangerous enemy. The Gemini, the player's ship, was originally a Protogen vessel, which gives Protogen a very personal reason to want the player dead or captured. The player encounters a different branch of Protogen than the one the Rocinante crew deals with in the books, discovering a separate network of facilities and operations.

Faction Alignment

The game does not force the player to permanently join one faction. Instead, the player's actions and choices throughout the story shift their standing with each group. Completing missions for the OPA improves Belt relations but might lower standing with the UN or MCRN. Helping a Martian contact could alienate Belter allies. Players can also forge an independent path, refusing to commit fully to any single faction and instead playing them against each other.

Behind the Scenes: Alcon Interactive Group

While not a faction in the game's world, Alcon Interactive Group is the real-world IP holder that makes The Expanse games possible. Founded in 2016 by Scott Parish and Dan Offner as the interactive entertainment arm of Alcon Entertainment, the group manages the video game rights to The Expanse and other Alcon properties. They previously published Telltale's The Expanse: A Telltale Series (2023) and Blade Runner interactive titles.

For Osiris Reborn, Alcon approves major story beats to ensure consistency with the broader Expanse canon. This means plot developments that touch on canonical characters or events (like references to Holden or the Canterbury) go through Alcon's review. Owlcat Games retains creative control over gameplay systems, mission design, and original characters, while Alcon ensures the game fits within the established universe.