Metro (franchise)

Metro (Ukrainian: Метро) is a post-apocalyptic fiction franchise consisting primarily of novels and video games that began with the 2002 release of Russian writer Dmitry Glukhovsky's novel Metro 2033. It was followed by his sequels Metro 2034 and Metro 2035, as well as by many other books by different authors, including Tullio Avoledo, Pierre Bordage, Robert J. Szmidt and Shimun Vrochek. Ukrainian studio 4A Games created the original novel's video game adaptation Metro 2033, followed by Metro: Last Light and Metro Exodus.
All of the Metro stories share the same setting – the fictional universe of Glukhovsky's novels. Although these described only his own vision of a devastated Moscow, and in particular the titular Moscow Metro system, the works of the extended universe take place in a wide variety of different areas within Russia and elsewhere in a world ravaged by global biological and nuclear warfare.
A first-person shooter video game titled Metro 2033 was created for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 gaming platforms. It was developed by 4A Games in Ukraine and published in March 2010 by THQ. A sequel, Metro: Last Light, was released in May 2013 on Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Redux versions of the games were released in 2014, featuring updated graphics and gameplay with all previously released downloadable content bundled. The Metro Redux bundle was released for the PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. A third game, Metro Exodus, was released in February 2019. A fourth game, Metro Awakening, was released in November 2024.
The Universe of Metro 2033 (Russian: Вселенная Метро 2033) is a series of short stories, novellas, and novels, spanning a variety of genres ranging from post-apocalyptic action to romance, written by several different authors. Despite being written by various authors, the stories of the extended Metro series are all supported by Dmitry Glukhovsky and advertised on the official Metro website.
Most of the written works of the series were originally released in Russia. Some books from the universe of Metro 2033, like Piter, Towards the Light and Into the Darkness, have been translated to a number of European languages, such as German, Polish and Swedish. Prior to 2014 and the video games Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light, no books in the series were released in a country where English is the prominent language.
A graphic novel titled Metro 2033: Britannia Comic Prologue inspired by the prologue of the Metro 2033 novel Britannia was published in 2012. The story was written by Grant McMaster, the author of the novel and is illustrated by Benedict Hollis. It is available as a free download and unlike the novels it is in English rather than Russian.
A Metro 2033 board game based on the original novel was released in 2011. It was designed by Sergei Golubkin and was published by Hobby World.
The Metro series was also being developed into films by Michael De Luca and Solipsist Films for MGM, but the deal has been cancelled by Glukhovsky due to his disapproval to their Americanization of his work. A Russian Metro 2033 film adaptation project was announced by the Russian state company Gazprom Media in 2019. The film is now unlikely to be made since Glukhovsky left the country to avoid prosecution and prison for his criticism of the Russian war in Ukraine.