Today say the proper debut of Metro 2039 from developer 4A games in a fifteen minute video hosted on the official Xbox channel. Here’s what we learned.

First, the important stuff: Metro 2039 will launch this winter on Xbox Series S/X, PS5 and PC.

Confirming prior leaks, the 15-minute showcase introduced a new protagonist named The Stranger, a fully voiced protagonist who seems to be taking over from Artyom. The Stranger will have to return to the series’ iconic underground metro tunnels as the game shifts from the open-world of Exodus back toward a more linear experience.

The previously warring factions have now been united under the Novoreich, led by famous Spartan, Hunter.

There’s going to be a “much darker tone this time around”, which is a fun thing to hear considering how dark and grimy the games already are. That’s understandable, though, when you account for the fact that 4A is still based in Ukraine, so while the previous games were about averting war, this one is more focused on the results of war; “the cost of silence, the horrors of tyranny, and the price of freedom.”

All of this will be constructed on the team’s own engine, and based on what we in the showcase, it looks impressive.