Metro (franchise)


Metro is a franchise consisting of novels and video games, which began with the release of Dmitry Glukhovsky's Metro 2033 novel in 2005. Although it began in Russia, the project enjoys plenty of popularity in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine and Germany as well. Ukrainian studio 4A Games had developed three video games set in the universe: Metro 2033, and Metro Exodus.
All of the Metro stories share the same setting – the fictional world of Glukhovsky's original novel. Although it described only his own vision of a post-apocalyptic Moscow, the books of the extended universe take place in a wide variety of different areas. Among these are: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast, Nizhny Novgorod, Tver Oblast, Moscow Oblast, Kola Peninsula, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, and the Kaliningrad oblast. Some of the books in the series are set in other locations outside of Russia, such as Ukraine, Belarus, United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, and Antarctica.

Video games

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, , 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.

Other novels

The Universe of Metro 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.
AuthorTitleLocationsDate of publication
Vladimir BerezinRoad SignsMoscow, Saint Petersburg, Leningrad region, Tver Oblast, Moscow regionDecember 2009
Sergey AntonovDark TunnelsMoscowJanuary 2010
Shimun VrochekPiterSaint Petersburg, Leningrad regionFebruary 2010
Andrey DyakovTowards the LightSaint Petersburg, Leningrad regionJune 2010
Andrey ErpylevThe Yield by ForceMoscowJuly 2010
Sergey KuznetsovThe Marble ParadiseMoscow region, MoscowAugust 2010
Suren TsormudianThe WandererMoscowSeptember 2010
Andrey ButorinThe NorthKola Peninsula, MurmanskOctober 2010
Sergey AntonovIn the Interests of the RevolutionMoscowNovember 2010
Alexandr ShakilovThe War of MolesKievDecember 2010
Ruslan MelnikovMuranchaRostov on DonJanuary 2011
Sergey PaliyThe NamelessSamaraFebruary 2011
Sergey MoskvinTo See the SunNovosibirskMarch 2011
Andrey GrebenschikovBeneath the HellYekaterinburgApril 2011
Anna KalinkinaGhost StationMoscowJune 2011
Andrey DyakovInto the DarknessLeningrad region, Saint PetersburgJune 2011
Sergey ZaytsevCorpsmenMoscowAugust 2011
Grant McMasterBritanniaGlasgow, Scotland, England, Carlisle, York, Conisbrough, Doncaster, Sheffield, Chesterfield, Leicester, LondonSeptember 2011
Igor VardunasIce PrisonBaltic Sea, La Manche, Atlantic ocean, Africa, AntarcticaOctober 2011
Andrey ButorinThe Siege of the ParadiseKola Peninsula, Polyarnye ZoriNovember 2011
Residents of Metro 2033 websiteThe Last RefugeMoscow, Saint Petersburg, Moscow region, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar, Biisk, SochiDecember 2011
Sergey AntonovUnburiedMoscowJanuary 2012
Andrey Chernetsov, Valentin LezhendaBlinding EmptinessMoscow, KharkovJanuary 2012
Tullio AvoledoLe radici del cielo Rome, Lazio, Torrita Tiberina, Umbria, Marche, Urbino, Emilia Romagna, Rimini, Santarcangelo di Romagna, Ravenna, Veneto, VeneziaMarch 2012
Anna KalinkinaThe Kingdom of RatsMoscowMarch 2012
Zahar PetrovMRLsMinskMay 2012
Suren TsormudyanAncestral HeritageKaliningradJuly 2012
Denis ShabalovThe Right to ForceSerdobskAugust 2012
Timothy KalashnikovWrong Side of the WorldMoscowSeptember 2012
Sergey MoskvinHungerNovaya ZemlyaOctober 2012
Irina Baranova, Constantine BenevWitnessSaint PetersburgNovember 2012
Andrey ButorinThe Daughter of the Heavenly SpiritKola Peninsula, MurmanskDecember 2012
Andrey DyakovOver the HorizonSaint-Petersburg, Leningrad, Vologda, Cherepovets, Yaroslavl Oblast, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo Oblast, Tatarstan, Kazan, Bashkortostan, Beloretsk, Yamantau, Orenburg Oblast, Dagestan, Kaspiysk, Primorsky Krai, VladivostokJanuary 2013
Denis ShabolovRight to LifeSerdobsk, Penza Oblast, Mordovia, Tatarstan, Mari El, Komi Republic, Kirov oblastMarch 2013
Tullio AvoledoLa crociata dei bambini MilanMarch 2014
Paweł MajkaDzielnica obiecana Nowa Huta, Kraków, PolandAugust 2014
Robert J. SzmidtOtchłań WrocławAugust 2015
Sergey SemyonovAliens eyesNizhny NovgorodDecember 2015
Robert J. SzmidtWieża WrocławMay 2016
Paweł MajkaCzłowiek obiecany KrakówNovember 2016
Artur ChmielewskiAchromatopsja WarsawMarch 2017
Pierre BordageRive Gauche ParisMay 2020

Translations

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 , no books in the series were released in a country where English is the prominent language.

Other media

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. However as of 11 December 2018 the project has been cancelled due to a desire to Americanize the project.