4A confirms Metro Exodus for next-gen consoles and addresses ‘concerns’ over multiplayer plans

4A Games has announced plans to bring Metro Exodus to new platforms and addressed fan “concerns” regarding its ambition to include a multiplayer component in the next series entry.

In an update sent to press on Wednesday, the studio confirmed Metro Exodus will be released for Xbox Series X/S and PS5 in 2021, when current-gen owners will be eligible for a free upgrade.

Enhancements will include a faster frame rate, increased resolution, reduced loading times, and ray tracing features, it said. It’s also working on dedicated Linux and Mac versions of the game.

The studio went on to elaborate on the future of the series, which celebrated its tenth anniversary this year.

It said the next Metro game is being developed for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, with a complete overhaul of the studio’s engine and renderer to take advantage of the new hardware.

And while it’s keen to add an online component to the game, 4A reassured fans it remains committed to the single-player experiences the series is known for.

“First – we’re committed to delivering a great story driven single player experience; this is what the Metro series is founded on,” it said.

“As a studio, we want to constantly push ourselves to create bigger and better games, but we also listen to what the fans are saying, and we know what’s important to you. We take our responsibly to the franchise seriously, and we think you’ll be excited our plans for the next chapter.”

In August 4A Games announced it had been acquired by Halo: Anniversary and World War Z Saber Interactive, a subsidiary of Embracer Group.

Answering questions submitted by VGC ahead of the acquisition announcement, 4A Games executive producer Jon Bloch spoke broadly about the studio’s ambitions for a Metro multiplayer component.

“We’ve dabbled in these thoughts in the past. Prototypes were made but never really got anywhere,” he said. “We wouldn’t want to just make a generic multiplayer for the sake of doing it. And we wouldn’t want something to feel tacked on just to tick a box.”

This sentiment was echoed in the studio’s blog post on Wednesday.

Further reading

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Interview: 4A Games talks Metro’s future as the series celebrates 10 years

Executive producer Jon Bloch discusses multiplayer, next-gen ray tracing and more

“Let’s start by saying, we hear your concerns. We’re not looking at multiplayer as a box-ticking exercise, or to jump on some trend or bandwagon. As creators, we want to explore a multiplayer experience that makes complete sense in the Metro universe.

“We’re also committed to ensuring that whatever we do, it’s not to the detriment of our single-player ambitions. We’ll need a dedicated team focused solely on the online component, and this is what our new partnership with Saber can bring; years of expertise, technology and know-how to help us realise our ambitions.

“Additionally, a reminder that it’s still early days – none of the thoughts above mean that the next Metro game will be multiplayer only; or that the next game will have single and multi-player in the same package. We are still figuring things out, but know that we are absolutely committed to more single-player, story driven experiences in the Metro universe that our fans have come to know and love.”