Metro 2039 Devs Address Gameplay Leak From Canceled Earlier Version

4A Games has responded to leaked gameplay from an earlier version of its Metro sequel, saying it was frustrating to see unfinished work released publicly before Metro 2039 was officially revealed.

Executive producer Jon Bloch told GamesRadar that the leaked material came from a version of the project the studio had already moved away from. He said Metro 2039 has changed substantially during development and benefited from the additional time spent refining its technology, gameplay, and story.

A playable build from an earlier attempt at the next Metro game surfaced online before the official reveal of Metro 2039.

"It never feels good," Bloch said when discussing the leak. He explained that seeing unfinished work released publicly can be frustrating, but the material did not represent the game 4A is now preparing to launch.

The studio had already changed direction by the time the build appeared online, so the leaked gameplay should not be treated as an early look at the final version of Metro 2039.

Work on a successor to Metro Exodus began years ago, but 4A substantially reworked the project after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The war deeply affected 4A's team, particularly its developers working in Ukraine, and changed the story the studio wanted to tell. Bloch said the team tried to preserve useful work from the earlier project rather than discarding everything, while rebuilding other parts around the new direction.

Metro 2039 now follows the Stranger as he returns to a Moscow Metro controlled by Hunter's Novoreich regime. 4A officially describes it as a single-player story combining exploration, survival, combat, and stealth.

Bloch said the studio did not originally plan for the next mainline Metro game to take seven years, but believes the longer development period ultimately helped the project.

4A continued improving its technology and gameplay systems while the story changed, rather than simply extending production on the same version of the game. Bloch said Metro 2039 has benefited from the additional time through continued development, iteration, and polish.

Metro 2039 is scheduled for February 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.