4A Games has unveiled METRO 2039, the long-awaited next chapter in the METRO saga, during a special event by Xbox.

The announcement has placed fresh attention on the AAA studio’s work across Malta and Ukraine, with GamingMalta describing the milestone as a significant marker of the studio’s growing footprint and potential in high-value game development.

The newly announced METRO 2039 is handcrafted, story-driven single-player FPS with horror and survival elements. It is set for release this winter on Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5, Steam and Epic.

Commenting on the announcement, GamingMalta CEO Ivan Filletti said: “We’re happy to witness 4A Games, a studio with a major footprint in Malta, unveil a project of this scale. The significance of this recent development is not important simply from a commercial standpoint, but also from a national one. 4A Games represents the kind of high-value, knowledge-driven activity Malta intends to keep attracting and sustaining, with world-class creative and technical work that is creating waves internationally.”

This is exactly the broader direction set out in Malta Vision 2050, which recognises gaming and interactive entertainment as part of the country’s long-term economic agenda, he said. “Our priority as GamingMalta does not stop at hosting studios. We are also relentlessly working to strengthen the ecosystem, supporting advanced production, specialist talent and international investment to take root together.”

Commenting on this milestone, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects Silvio Schembri, said: “This is exactly the kind of high-value ecosystem we are sustaining, one that fosters industries that rely on specialised skills and creativity, which ultimately translate into high-quality careers for our youths.”

The company has linked the new project to themes shaped by war, resilience and the realities faced by its wider team. Set in the year 2039, the game introduces a new protagonist, The Stranger, and takes players back into a post-apocalyptic Moscow shaped by authoritarian rule, propaganda and misinformation.

4A Games has described the development of METRO 2039 as “being directly shaped by the realities of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” with the studio describing the title as a classic Metro story told from a Ukrainian perspective.

Dean Sharpe, CEO, 4A Games added: “We chose to expand our operations to Malta in 2014 to extend our development capabilities while still keeping a strong foothold with talent in our home of Kyiv, Ukraine. Malta continues to grow and strengthen its video game development ecosystem and has supported our growth, building our studio to over 200 diverse team members from Ukraine, Malta and beyond. We’re looking forward to showing the world what 4A Games can deliver, as we move forward with our most ambitious launch yet, the next iteration in the METRO video game franchise - METRO 2039.”

Founded in Kyiv in 2005, 4A Games has grown into an award-winning, multinational studio with more than 200 team members from over 25 nationalities, now operating primarily from Malta and Ukraine.

Images: by GamingMalta and 4A Games