New Metro Game May Have Multiplayer, But Is That a Good Thing?

The Metro series is known for its narrative-driven singleplayer experiences, with 4A Games consistently providing players with a sense of dread and isolation. Whether a Metro game is following series protagonist Artyam or his fellow ranger Sam, the series has consistently delivered on throwing players into a memorable post-apocalyptic world. While the series evolved in a big way with Metro Exodus, 4A Games’ announcement that a multiplayer game was in development caught just about everyone off guard.

While this multiplayer Metro game has not yet been given a title and is clearly still in the earliest phases of development, the project is certainly interesting. With nobody really asking for multiplayer in the Metro series, 4A Games will need to do something special to gain the attention of fans. While the studio has promised that more singleplayer content will come for the series, and even acknowledged that some gamers may be immediately turned off by the idea of online play, there is plenty of potential for Metro multiplayer to be a positive or negative addition.

One way for the Metro multiplayer game to immediately prove doubters right would be for 4A Games to take the project in a Call of Duty-style direction. While there are systems in place for such a concept, including gear items like throwing knives and numerous weapons with unlockable attachments, the Metro universe is not suited for the high-octane action seen in multiplayer shooters. With a slower, weightier feel to movement and thought-out mechanics like weapon durability that would prove frustrating in a PvP setting, staying away from generic FPS multiplayer would be a wise idea.

4A Games has previously stressed the importance of keeping the tone of the Metro book series intact with this multiplayer offering, and avoiding a scenario where the game feels like a Call of Duty clone is a good start. However, another equally bad option would be making Metro a battle royale game. While the slower mechanics would fit better into a battle royale title, Metro’s tone of a desolate world would be lost due to the sheer number of enemies in an area. With iconic creatures like Nosalises and Demons forced to take a backseat in this scenario as well, focusing purely on human characters fighting one another would prove to be a betrayal of the series’ core values.

While there are certainly some ways that multiplayer can prove to be a negative addition to the Metro franchise, developer 4A Games seems to be treating the project with the same care and respect as the singleplayer games. As such, whichever form this multiplayer project takes will likely be fitting of the universe established in the previous games, and it is hard to think of something more fitting than a co-op survival game.

Leaning into Metro Exodus’ semi-open world design, 4A Games can drop groups of players into a massive world like Fallout 76, though hopefully with a lot more polish. Metro fans can then explore the world around them with a group of friends, scavenging supplies from buildings and clearing out the many horrifying creatures in each area. While a co-op, PvE experience focused on looting can be the main draw of the game, smart PvP can add another layer to the experience.

Players can be placed into a world populated by other players, with each group starting in a separate area of the map. Giving the teams time to build their own bases in a server, players can fight for land and raid each other’s bases — not too differently from the ongoing Rust drama. With players rewarded with supplies and upgrades upon taking down other online users, and equal opportunities available for alliances, PvP fights in the Metro multiplayer game can be rare and fitting of the universe.

One final touch could see Metro’s multiplayer game pulling from The Last of Us series’ Factions mode. Giving players a group of NPC survivors to take care of and protect, it would become necessary to go out in the world and hunt down food and supplies. The NPCs could provide players with quests as well, giving them specific goals to complete while adventuring in Metro’s world. Keeping a survivor group alive could also give players a further incentive to start or avoid PvP battles, with the risk-reward nature being increased heavily due to possible collateral damage. If Metro multiplayer attempts to stick with the core concepts of previous entries, it can absolutely be a good thing for the franchise.

A new Metro game is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X.

MORE: Metro 2033 Movie Adaptation in Development

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