THQ'S post-apocalyptic shooter won't be coming with multiplayer, despite previous announcements to the contrary.
"It was probably a mistake to announce it when we did," Developer 4A stated on the Metro website. "Right now we’re 100% focused on the single player campaign and not thinking beyond that. We don’t like throwing away work though, it’s a project we could potentially return to after Metro: Last Light ships.
A small team had been working on multiplayer prototypes but it was absorbed back into the single-player team after E3 to focus on the story.
"Your response to our E3 demo made it very clear that although there was a lot of interest and intrigue around Metro’s multiplayer, the single player campaign is what the fanbase cares about the most."
As for whether or not this affected development, 4A said, “Fortunately, we never dedicated too many resources to the MP component beyond prototyping – it never entered full production. By making the decision when we did, we think the single player campaign will benefit as a result."
They also declined to speak about any details just in case they released the MP element down the line, saying they're "going to keep that under wraps for now!"
4A said the Metro 2033 sequel was still on target for a release in early 2013.