Next Metro Game Release Date Narrowed Down in New Report

A newly surfaced report narrowed down the possible release date of the Metro Exodus sequel. This insider account arrives mere weeks after 4A Games made the Exodus SDK engine free for modders, in addition to reaffirming that the new Metro game is still in development.

The fourth installment in the acclaimed FPS franchise based on Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky’s best-selling book Metro 2033 has been in the works for at least three years. 4A Games originally confirmed its existence back in 2020, but has provided precious little information on the project ever since. The last official bit of actual news about the title dates back to that original communication, when the studio said the new Metro game will be a multiplayer-focused experience.

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According to Spanish YouTuber eXtas1s citing industry sources, the Metro Exodus sequel has been progressing quite nicely since then and is already in a fully playable state. Taking that statement at face value, the timing of this leak makes sense, as reaching a playable pre-alpha build is usually when developers start extensive playtesting; that task is often outsourced, but even when it isn’t, it requires bringing more people into the loop, which increases the likelihood of leaks. Either way, this turn of events suggest the game might be targeting a tentative 2024 release date, the report concludes.

As for the potential veracity of these claims, the same source recently reported that Xbox Game Pass is about to add another Atlus RPG, in addition to leaking the correct release date for co-op shooter Redfall weeks before Bethesda officially announced it. The YouTuber’s track record with leaks is hence neither long nor fully played out, but it does suggest some level of insider insight into the industry.

The sequel to Metro Exodus will presumably be published by Deep Silver, given 4A Games’ long-standing collaboration with the Austrian company dating back to the 2013 Metro: Last Light.

While many Ukrainian developers were forced to delay their projects in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of the Eastern European country, 4A Games saw the writing on the wall during the 2014 Crimean crisis, opting to move its headquarters and most staffers to Malta before that month-long conflict was over. Owner Andrew Prokhorov labeled that decision as difficult but necessary at the time, positing that 4A Games would have ceased operations had they remained based in their home country. That notwithstanding, the studio still operates a Kyiv office, which recently revealed one of Metro Exodus’ devs was killed while fighting in Ukraine.

The fourth Metro game is currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

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