THQ To Publish New Post-Apocalyptic FPS, Metro 2033

THQ on Thursday announced it picked up pubilshing duties for an FPS from Ukrainian studio 4A Games called Metro 2033, a post-apocalyptic game based on the science-fiction novel of the same name by Dmitry Glukhovsky. Due on PC and Xbox 360 in 2010, Metro 2033 is set in the subways of post-apocalyptic Moscow, 20 years after a catastrophic occurrence that drove populations underground. On the surface "mutant horrors await," according to THQ's announcement. Glukhovsky is a 30-year-old Russian journalist and novelist. His first novel was Metro 2033, which Glukhovsky originally released on his website for free in 2002. The work became a cult hit online before being published in hard copy in 2005. The physical version of the book has sold 450,000 units, and film rights are "currently in negotiation," the official statement said. Metro 2033 has been in development for over two years, and runs on 4A's proprietary 4A Game Engine. The game emerged in 2006, although it only now found a publisher in THQ. 4A Games and THQ only announced an Xbox 360 and Nvidia Physx-enabled PC version of the game, although past reports and 4A Games' website list the PlayStation 3 as a target platform. "Metro 2033 will plunge gamers into a terrifying vision of the future," said Richard Williams, VP of global brand management, THQ. "4A Games have worked closely with Dmitry Glukhovsky to deliver a unique game world, a compelling, cinematic story and an incredible, atmospheric experience to rival anything in the category."