4A Games

4A Games is a developer and publisher.

4A Games Webpage, Facebook

A Ukrainian development studio headquartered in Malta since 2014. The team creates games for PC and consoles, and gained worldwide recognition for the Metro series, which draws heavily on the prose of Dmitry Glukhovsky.

History

In 2005, Oles Shishkovtsov and Oleksandr Maksymchuk, former GSC Game World employees, founded their own development studio based in Kyiv. A year later, the 4A Games team began working on their own graphics engine, the 4A Engine, to power their debut production.

Metro 2033

Metro 2033, an adaptation of Dmitry Glukhovsky's novel of the same name, was first announced at the 2009 Games Convention in Leipzig. To develop this title, the studio partnered with Nvidia, which resulted in the use of PhysX technology. THQ released this shooter for PC and Xbox 360 in 2010, achieving both artistic and commercial success.

Metro: Last Light

The team quickly began working on a sequel, Metro: Last Light, which, unlike the original, only loosely referenced Glukhovsky's prose. The title was announced at E3 in 2011, and although initially scheduled for release a year later, it ultimately debuted in 2013. This was due to problems encountered by the developers, the most significant of which was the bankruptcy of the series' previous publisher. However, the rights to the franchise were acquired by Koch Media, which allowed the developers to complete their work. Published by Deep Silver (a division of Koch Media responsible for video game publishing and distribution), Metro: Last Light hit store shelves in May 2013 and, like the first installment, was warmly received by players and reviewers.

Metro Redux and ARKTIKA.1

In March 2014, 4A Games announced that remastered versions of its first two games would be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The bundle, called Metro Redux, debuted in August 2014. Meanwhile, in May 2014, the studio's headquarters were relocated to Malta (although the Kiev branch remained operational), following the crisis in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.

Just over two years later, in October 2016, 4A Games announced its third project. However, it wasn't the next installment in the Metro series, but ARKTIKA.1, an FPS designed for PCs and VR headsets.

Metro Exodus

A few months before ARKTIKA.1 hit the shelves in October 2017, 4A Games unveiled Metro Exodus, which was intended for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. As with the first installment in the series, the project was developed in collaboration with Nvidia; this time, 4A Games aimed to make the most of ray tracing technology. Interestingly, Dmitry Glukhovsky himself watched over the project, as he viewed it as a direct continuation of his book series.

Metro Exodus released on February 15, 2019. Although the release of this production was met with high reviews, it was not without controversy. With just two weeks' notice, it was revealed that the PC version would be available exclusively on the Epic Games Store for a year. Although many players were dissatisfied, the sales numbers were a success and in May, THQ Nordic (owner of the game's publisher, Deep Silver) hailed the third installment of the post-apocalyptic series as its best release ever.

All of this led to an announcement in August 2019 that Metro Exodus would receive a sequel. The first DLC for the game, The Two Colonels, was released in the same month. The second expansion, Sam's Story, hit the shelves in February 2020.

Acquisition by Saber Interactive

In August 2020, Embracer Group announced the acquisition of 4A Games by Saber Interactive, a subsidiary of the publishing giant. The acquisition cost them $36 million. Shortly thereafter, in November, the developers shared their future plans. These included creating a remastered version of Metro Exodus for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, developing a next installment in the series and delivering a "multiplayer experience" set in the Metro universe. Furthermore, the developers did not rule out the possibility of creating a completely new IP.

Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition launched on ninth-generation consoles in June 2021. In January 2023, we received further confirmation that a fourth Metro game was in development; we also learned that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would leave its mark. While we heard in February 2023 that this enigmatic game was fully playable, its announcement at the time was still a distant prospect. In August 2023, less optimistic news emerged: Dmitry Glukhovsky, the creator of the Metro 2033 and Metro 2035 universes, was sentenced to eight years in prison in Russia; fortunately, he was already outside the country at the time. In February 2024, 4A Games announced that Metro Exodus had sold 10 million copies.

Confusion over another ownership change and a split into two independent studios

In March 2024, Embracer Group announced the sale of 4A Games' parent company, Saber Interactive. Its new owner, Beacon Interactive, also had the option to acquire, among other things, the 4A Games team for a "previously agreed-upon amount." However, in September 2024, Matthew Karch, one of the founders of Saber Interactive, who also headed Beacon Interactive, revealed to Jason Schreier that the deal had fallen through. Karch did not share the reasons for this, stating only that it'd be for the best for all parties.

In February 2025, it was officially announced that after the main branch of 4A Games came under the wing of Embracer Group in 2020, the Kyiv-based team began operating independently. To emphasize its independence, its name was changed from 4A Games Ukraine to Reburn. Interestingly, although the Maltese branch of 4A Games retained the right to use the studio's name, both entities were allowed to use 4A Engine technology.