'The fact that he can talk means that we can understand what he's thinking, right?' — Metro 2039 executive producer says the game's speaking protagonist is 'about him, his history' and his 'singular motivation'

• Metro 2039will have a speaking protagonist called The Stranger at the center of the game's story
• Executive producer Jon Bloch says players will learn how the character feels about unfolding events
• He adds that a silent protagonist wouldn't have allowed 4A Games to tell the story properly

Unlike the core Metro trilogy,Metro 2039 will feature a new speaking protagonist, The Stranger, which allowed 4A Games to tell a darker, more personal story.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming about the real-life impact the Russia-Ukraine war has had on the studio's upcoming game, creative director Andriy Shevchenko and executive producer Jon Bloch also touched on the sequel's new protagonist and how his motivations are at the center of the story.

"We've also gone way darker with the story," Bloch said. "It's a lot more personal story. The story is directly about our protagonist, The Stranger, about him, about his history, about the things he struggles with, about his singular motivation for what he's doing."

Artyom is the established main character of the preceding games, Metro 2033,* Metro: Last Light*, and* Metro Exodus**,* and is a silent protagonist, whileMetro 2039's The Stranger is fully voiced, allowing players to hear his thoughts throughout.

According to Bloch, this shift enabled 4A Games to more deeply explore who the character is, how he feels about unfolding events, and "what's inside of him."

"It goes hand in hand with telling a personal story," he added. "If we stuck with the silent protagonist method, we wouldn't be able to tell this story properly."

Metro 2039 will release in February 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

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Demi is a freelance games journalist who helps cover gaming news at TechRadar. She's been a games writer for five years and has written for outlets such as GameSpot, NME, and GamesRadar, covering news, features, and reviews. Outside of writing, she plays a lot of RPGs and talks far too much about Star Wars on X.

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