On behalf of 4A Games and Deep Silver, we’re excited to reveal Metro 2039, the fourth mainline entry in the iconic series of post-apocalyptic first-person shooters. Today, we’re showing off a first look at the game, its story, and gameplay in an extended video presentation.
Set six years after the original game and written in collaboration with Metro author Dmitry Glukhovsky, this new entry builds on our vast experience creating handcrafted, story-driven single-player campaigns with a claustrophobic atmosphere of tense, psychological horror.
Welcome to Metro 2039.
The darkest Metro chapter yet
While Metro Exodus saw us leaving Moscow, Metro 2039 sees players going back to the tunnels and leaning into what makes Metro special. In the series, survivors of a nuclear war have been forced to live underground in the Metro tunnels of Moscow. Now, the underground factions and station communities have all been united under one banner – the Novoreich, led by a new Fuhrer; the legendary Spartan, Hunter. Fuhrer promises a new life for the people but in reality, the Metro is flooded with propaganda, misinformation, and fear. The people suffer under his authoritarian regime and the brutal belief… if it’s hostile, you kill it.
Our new, voiced protagonist is The Stranger, a recluse plagued by violent nightmares and forced to undertake a harrowing journey back into the Metro, a place he swore to never return. Today’s reveal trailer took us into one of his frequent nightmares, dragged through layers of increasingly disturbing scenes where violence and trauma collide. When he finally wakes, he finds himself in the real nightmare: post-apocalyptic Moscow, on a mission to face the ghosts of his past.
Metro 2039 promises to be the darkest chapter in our saga that once again provides a tragic view on what humanity must do to survive.
First gameplay and hand-crafted details
Our presentation includes a tease of Metro 2039’s gameplay and cinematics, to give you a taste of what you can expect deep in the tunnels.
You’ll see that environmental storytelling is key to Metro 2039, as we bring what we call “frozen stories” to our level design. Each area is thoughtfully staged, meaning observant players can piece together micro-narratives as they explore and witness items, bodies and props suggesting a horrific past. In the tease, after a heart-pounding encounter with a ferocious mutant Nosalis, the Stranger escapes into a populated station, providing a quick look into the types of bleak settlements you can expect in the Metro, filled with communities living, fighting and surviving.
4A’s custom game engine
As with our previous games, Metro 2039 has been built using our own custom game engine, purpose-built for the games we want to make. This not only means we can build on everything we’ve learned in the past, but we can take advantage of new developments too.
With Metro Exodus we were early pioneers of ray-tracing to enhance the game’s desolate atmosphere. With Metro 2039, we’re once again pushing the boundaries of video game visuals using our engine with a focus on rebuilding our implementation of this technology to bring a more tuned and performant experience that is still nothing short of stunning and hauntingly beautiful. PlayStation fans can expect Metro 2039 to deliver astonishing visuals on PS5.
Ukrainian pride
We are so proud to have a new Metro game to reveal to you today. As a Ukrainian studio, we’ve spent the last few years developing Metro 2039 with many of our team having to shelter from drone strikes and use batteries and generators to complete our work. What’s more, original author Dmitry Glukhovsky is living in exile from his native Russia after being sentenced to eight years in prison (in absentia) for criticising the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has had a direct impact on our approach to the next Metro. The series has always been about preventing war but our new reality meant we needed to take a different approach. While this is still an authentic Metro story, set in the Metro universe, it’s told from our uniquely Ukrainian perspective. The themes you’ll see in this next chapter are focused on the consequences of war – the cost of silence, the horrors of tyranny, and the price of freedom.
We can’t wait to show you more of what we’ve been working on, as we head towards the release this winter.
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