4A Games, the studio behind the Metro series of games, is currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of the franchise. From a very cool interactive timeline (that mimics the metro system of Moscow's underground railways) covering both the narrative and games like Metro 2033 and Metro Exodus -- the studio has also opened up regarding its plans for the future.

First up, the next Metro game proper is currently in development.

It’s no secret that we have already started work on the next Metro game. Using everything we’ve learned from the last 15 years, we’ve set our sights even higher – the next title is being built for Gen 9 consoles and PC, with a complete overhaul of our engine and renderer to take advantage of the new power, storage, and hardware supported ray tracing afforded by the new consoles.

And in terms of Gen 9 - Metro Exodus is getting a PS5 and Xbox Series X update next year that will support faster frame-rates, reduced loading times, and even ray-tracing as seen on the PC release powered by NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics.

Head here to read our deep dive into Metro Exodus and its use of ray-tracing for global illumination.

With 4A Games expanding from 60-people back in 2010 when Metro 2033 released to 150+ spread between two locations Malta and Kyiv, the studio is expanding its scope beyond what we've seen so far. Partnering with Saber Interactive the studio is now "actively exploring multiplayer concepts that will offer a new way to experience the world of Metro". Adding, "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".

And finally, the studio is working on a brand-new IP with the same AAA scope as Metro Exodus. Very cool.