4A Games

4A Games Limited
Private
Industry Video game industry
Founded 2005 (2005) in Kiev, Ukraine
Founders
  • Oles Shishkovstov
  • Alexander Maximchuk
Headquarters Sliema, Malta
Number of locations
 2 studios (2016)
Key people
  • Dean Sharpe (CEO)
  • Oles Shishkovstov (CTO)
  • Alexander Maximchuk (CIO)
Products Metro series
Number of employees
 100+ (2016)
Website 4a-games.com

4A Games Limited is a Ukrainian video game developer based in Sliema, Malta. The company was founded in Kiev, Ukraine in 2005, and moved its headquarters to Malta in 2014. It is best known for developing the Metro video game franchise.

History

4A Games was formed in Kiev, Ukraine in 2005 by Oles Shishkovstov and Alexander Maximchuk, former employees of GSC Game World. In 2006, the company started operations and began development on the 4A Engine, which would be used in 4A Games' forthcoming title, Metro 2033.

Metro series

The company's first game was Metro 2033, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. Work on the project began in 2006, which was first unveiled to the public during the 2009 Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany. The game was announced to the press via publisher THQ and Nvidia, who worked with the developers to integrate PhysX functionality.[1] The game was released in March 2010 on the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows to generally favorable reviews.[2]

Following their initial success, 4A Games began work on the sequel, Metro: Last Light, which was announced during the 2011 E3 convention.[3] The game faced several issues during its production, whose release date was delayed from 2012 to 2013.[4] The most significant setback for the company occurred in January 2013, when the game's publisher, THQ, closed down after declaring bankruptcy and auctioning off its intellectual properties. The publishing rights to the Metro 2033 franchise, including the sequel, were sold to Koch Media for $5.8 million on 22 January, allowing the company to finish making the game.[5] Metro: Last Light was finally released on 14 May 2013, and was published by Koch Media's video game label, Deep Silver.[6]

On 30 March 2014, a remastered re-release of both Metro titles, under the name Metro Redux, was leaked, and confirmed the day after. The compilation was released in August 2014 for eighth-generation platforms.

Expansion and headquarter relocation

On 12 May 2014, amidst the Ukrainian crisis and following the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, 4A Games announced that they were to expand by opening a new studio in and moving their headquarters to Sliema, Malta to allow for easier operations inside the European Union, with the Kiev studio continuing to operate for Eastern European operations.[7]

Games developed

Year Title Platform(s)
Win Mac Lin X360 XBO PS3 PS4
2010 Metro 2033 Yes No No Yes No No No
2013 Metro: Last Light Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
2014 Metro 2033 Redux Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes
Metro: Last Light Redux Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes
2017 Arktika.1[8] TBA
Metro 2035[9]

References

  1. ↑ Crecente, Brian (22 October 2009). "Metro 2033 Shooter Brings Apocalypse to Moscow". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Metro 2033 Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  3. ↑ Williamson, Steven (6 June 2011). "E3 2011: Metro: Last Light announcement trailer". Hexus. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  4. ↑ Bradford, Matt (3 February 2012). "THQ delays Metro: Last Light, seeks help with Warhammer 40K MMO". GamesRadar. Future plc. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  5. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (23 January 2013). "Koch Media offers $22.3M for Volition and $5.8M for 4A Games' Metro franchise in THQ auction". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  6. ↑ Karmali, Luke (1 March 2013). "Metro: Last Light Release Date Announced". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  7. ↑ Hall, Charlie (20 August 2014). "Ukraine's 4A Games lands in Malta: 'We are not betrayers'". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  8. ↑ Chalk, Andy (6 October 2016). "Metro 2033 developer announces Arktika.1, an Oculus Touch-exclusive FPS". PC Gamer. Future US. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  9. ↑ Donnelly, Joe (9 November 2016). "Metro 2035 release date slated for next year". PC Gamer. Future US. Retrieved 9 November 2016.

External links

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