Saints Row 4, Metro: Last Light Coming In 2013

A change in publisher hasn't disrupted Saints Row 4 and Metro: Last Light's development too much, it seems. Koch Media, the games' new publisher, says that both games will be arriving later this year.

Klemens Kundratitz told GI.biz that he has "no doubt" SR4 and Last Light will arrive in 2013. He added that both franchises are a good fit for Koch. The company has a strong presence in Europe, where they expect Metro: Last Light to perform the best, and they can provide creative freedom to Volition as they craft another lewd Saints Row adventure. They also feel they've grown enough to properly handle AAA projects like these games.

"I think it would have been daunting two years ago, but we have really come a long way since we started publishing. Admittedly, we started small and focused on Europe, but we went step-by-step, making bigger bets and making bigger products. Not all of them have been successful, as with any publisher, but it's been organic growth," said Kundratitz.

SR4 and Last Light were going to be published by THQ originally. However, the company went bankrupt and was forced to sell off many of its assets. Koch Media purchased the rights to publish the Metro and Saints Row franchises, and also acquired SR studio Volition.

Saints Row 4 was originally conceived as a standalone expansion to SR3 called Enter the Dominatrix. It included a new campaign in which an alien warlord tries to take over Steelport. In order to prevent the Third Street Saints from meddling with his plans, this warlord traps the leader of the gang in the Dominatrix, a virtual version of the city. THQ decided last summer that the expansion should be fleshed out into a full game, presumably to capitalize on Saints Row's critical and commercial success.

Metro: Last Light is a follow-up to the 2010 shooter Metro 2033. It depicts a bleak future in which the world has been devastated by nuclear war. The survivors in Moscow now live in the city's subway tunnels. They live in fear of both mutants and each other.

Last Light was originally expected to ship in early 2013 so it's no shock that the game is still coming out this year. Saints Row 4 is a bit more of a surprise, considering how little we've seen of the project. If Koch wants to give that game the launch it deserves, they need to start showing it off soon.