The Metro franchise celebrates its 10th Anniversary. And to commemorate, developer 4A Games talked about the past and future for their premier IP. Suffice to say, fans of the FPS series can look forward to a bright future.
More than 10 years ago, in March 2010, Metro 2033 released for the PC and Xbox 360. The immersive first-person shooter by Ukrainian studio 4A Games quickly rose to fame. For two reasons mainly. Most-obviously, the game was a true stunner, featuring cutting-edge visuals. But of similar importance, many viewed it as a spiritual successor to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R franchise.
Since the studio consisted of the former developers of that franchise, comparisons came naturally. But to everybody’s surprise, Metro 2033 was a unique beast with its own personality. A linear story-rich experience took the place of a vast open-world. And it was better for it. A new franchise was born and grew with the Last Light three years later.
But it was last year’s Metro Exodus that truly blew the lid off the franchise. Thanks to massive marketing by Microsoft, and the jump to more open levels, Exodus firmly established the franchise as an FPS juggernaut.
Now, we learn that owners of a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S can look forward to a huge upgrade. Sometime next year, Metro Exodus on next-gen will receive a free upgrade that enables higher framerates, resolutions, and more. As expected, this will be free for owners of the current-gen version as well.
But wait, there’s more! A true full-on next-gen Metro game is also currently in development. 4A Games didn’t share many details about it, but we learn a few crucial points still. First up, this next-gen only Metro game will still offer a great linear story experience.
But the studio’s acquisition by the Embracer Group now enables them to also work on a multiplayer mode. Stay calm though, as the developer reassures that this won’t be a throwaway checkbox. Instead, in partnership with Saber Interactive, something befitting of the Metro series is planned.
Furthermore, it’s not even set in stone that this multiplayer mode won’t be a separate title altogether. But one thing is for sure. Metro will remain with us for a long time.
