Metro 4 will be even darker as a result of Russia's war against Ukraine

4A Games: "As art became life for many of our developers in Ukraine, we drew from that lived experience to create an even darker story".

Game development is never easy, but if you live in a war-torn country, it is multiple times worse, as GSC Game World, among others, has testified in connection with the production of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the studio had to flee the country and employees have unfortunately been injured and even killed at the front.

Ukrainian Metro developer 4A Studios has similar stories and has published a Metro 15th Anniversary Update on their website where they write about the long journey of the acclaimed game series, where the Russian war is an important part. Among other things, they thank the Russian writer Dmitry Glukhovsky, who created the Metro universe, for his support for Ukraine, which has made him a wanted man in his home country (something we have previously written about):

"Dmitry has always spoken out against the war in Ukraine from the start - a courageous decision for any russian, that has seen him sentenced to jail (in absentia) - and we are proud to have him as a friend and co-creator as we tell this next, and never more relevant chapter of Metro together."

They also go a bit into the future of the series, explaining that the devastation the Russians caused Ukraine and Ukrainians will be felt in the next game in the series:

"...in 2022 a full-scale russian invasion changed how we wanted to tell the story of the next Metro game. As art became life for many of our developers in Ukraine, we drew from that lived experience to create an even darker story, those themes already present in Metro becoming ever-more apparent and important. As conflict, the struggle for power, the horrors of tyranny, and the price of freedom have become part of our lives over the past 3+ years, we are still living and working during this wartime, and that inevitably shapes the games we make."

They end the long post with "Слава Україні!" (Glory to Ukraine).

We still don't know when the next proper Metro game will be released, but the most recent entry in the main series was 2019's Metro Exodus (last year saw the release of the Vertigo Games-developed spinoff Metro Awakening), so hopefully it won't be too long before we get an announcement.