Metro 2039 devs say the ongoing war in Ukraine has changed how they write morality: ‘The franchise’s very nature is getting too close to reality’
The developers behind the Metro series, based in Ukraine, have revealed how the ongoing Russian invasion has fundamentally altered their approach to the franchise’s themes of war and morality. Having lived under active conflict for over four years, the team faces the sobering reality that their fictional post-apocalyptic narratives are drawing uncomfortably close to real-world horrors.
The series has always grappled with the devastating consequences of nuclear war and the moral complexity of survival in a destroyed world. However, for the Ukrainian developers at the studio, these themes have taken on a painfully literal dimension as they navigate the psychological and creative toll of developing a game about warfare while their country remains under siege.
The tragedy deepened with the loss of animator Andrii ‘Nizrok’ Korzinkin, who died fighting in the war. His death exemplifies the human cost that extends beyond fictional narratives into the lives of those creating them.
This convergence of reality and fiction has prompted the developers to reconsider how they portray morality and the human condition within the game. The creative team is grappling with the challenge of telling stories about war’s impact when they are simultaneously living through similar trauma. The franchise’s deeply rooted exploration of human nature in wartime has become impossible to separate from the developers’ lived experience, forcing a more thoughtful and perhaps darker approach to the game’s moral dimensions.