Fresh-faced development studio 4A Games released Metro 2033 in 2010, based on the work of Russian novelist Dmitry Glukhovsky. It has become well known for the series since, with the latest entry Metro Exodus releasing in 2019, and THQ Nordic's parent company Embracer Group acquiring 4A Games earlier this year. Amid this purchase it was announced that 4A Games would be overseeing new IP under Saber Interactive, and today the developer confirmed such projects are underway.
A number of things have happened surrounding the Metro franchise for its 10-year anniversary, including the release of Metro Exodus' second DLC expansion, Sam's Story; the latest title's wider release on Steam after a year of Epic Games Store exclusivity; and the launch of Metro Redux on Nintendo Switch. In a celebratory 10th anniversary post on its website, 4A Games also advertised the launch of a Metro universe timeline - naturally modeled like a subway map.
The same post outlines the studio's future plans, which promise to be grand as its recent purchase by Embracer provided "access to greater resources and a larger talent pool to bring you more of the experiences you've grown to know and love." Those plans include a new Metro game for next-gen consoles utilizing features like ray tracing, a multiplayer game set in the Metro universe, and new titles building upon 4A Games' ambition to become a "multi-project studio." Subsidiaries in Malta and Kyiv are hiring for "another new AAA experience" as of this writing.
The post points to 2017's Arktika.1, a first-person shooter released for Oculus Rift, as the first steps toward the goal of becoming a multi-project studio, though it does not specify whether future projects will also incorporate VR tech. Since that game released, Oculus has put out the Oculus Quest 2, a cheaper peripheral that purportedly aims to move VR gaming into a more mainstream future.
Other takeaways fans of 4A Games can glean from its 10th anniversary post include the announcement that Metro Exodus receiving a free upgrade to next-gen consoles next year, and that the studio plans to be more active on social media to update the progress of upcoming projects. "While we're still working through the details of our plans for this, we have a goal to be more responsive and communicative," according to 4A Games.
CD Projekt Red's video game adaptations of Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher novels brought greater attention to its universe as a whole, leading to projects like a Netflix adaptation starring Henry Cavill, and 4A Games' Metro series appears to have had a similar effect. A Metro 2033 movie adaptation was announced in 2019, though it has been some time since an update was provided regarding its production.
Sources: 4A Games, Metro Timeline