Reburn announced that its narrative-driven first-person shooter La Quimera is releasing on PC via Steam on April 25.

The Kyiv, Ukraine-based company, formerly known as 4A Games — the creator of the Metro game series — also dropped a new gameplay trailer.

Reburn is also holding a 24-hour closed beta on April 12, letting early players test out the game’s single-player and co-op combat in a portion of a mid-game mission. The game will sell for $30.

To prepare for the launch, Reburn is hosting a closed beta for 24 hours starting April 12 at 7 a.m. PT/2 p.m. UTC. Fans can request closed beta access on La Quimera’s Steam page, though slots are limited. Participants will be able to access a part of a pivotal mid-game mission in solo or co-op play.

“Our Reburn team can’t wait to finally share our hard work and vision for La Quimera with players on April 25,” said Dmytro Lymar, CEO of Reburn, in a statement. “Ahead of our release, we invite players to join us in our closed beta to get an early look at the co-op experience for our vision of Nuevo Caracas and far beyond.”

World building

In addition, eager FPS fans can get an extended look at La Quimera’s unique blend of sci-fi world building, Latin American mysticism, and tense shooter combat in the first gameplay trailer. The game set in a futuristic Latin American megalopolis. The gameplay trailer pulls back the curtain on La Quimera’s intriguing blend of exosuit abilities, futuristic weaponry, and robotic enemies standing between the PMC and its objectives.

Render enemies vulnerable with a multitarget electric shock, scan for hidden threats, dodge certain death with the exosuit’s agility, and more. La Quimera players can suit up with two additional friends throughout each mission for co-op action, coordinating combat tactics and experiencing the city and jungles of Nuevo Caracas together.

La Quimera is Reburn’s first original video game intellectual property. The world and narrative of La Quimera is written and created by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, The Neon Demon) and E.J.A. Warren. Set in and around the fictional Latin American mega-city of Nuevo Caracas, the game tells the story of a down-on-their-luck PMC group caught up in a vast conflict between rival factions and shadowy corporations, as mystical events increasingly blur the line between reality and illusion. Exosuits provided by one such benefactor allow players to engage in intense combat, utilizing high-tech gadgetry and superhuman strength to outwit their enemies.

Origins

Reburn’s roster of developers includes lead gameplay designers, artists, sound engineers, programmers, and more from across the entire Metro series. Metro 2033, Last Light, and Exodus gameplay and AI designer Oleksandr Kostiuk serves as project lead on La Quimera. Lymar has worked in games since 2006, and previously served as director and CEO of 4A Games Ukraine, which operated as a separately owned entity distinct from other 4A Games studios.

“As a development studio operating out of Ukraine, the last several years have been extremely challenging in terms of bringing any artistic creation to life while contending with the realities of war and dramatic shifts in the games industry,” said Lymar. “Through it all, we stayed focused on what we love: Creating immersive, story-driven experiences. Our work wouldn’t be possible without the bravery and sacrifice of those defending Ukraine, and we’re profoundly grateful for their strength and resilience. We’re also truly thankful to everyone who supported and believed in us along the way.”

Reburn was formerly known as 4A Games Ukraine, one of multiple studios working on the Metro video game series. Reburn comprises more than 110 developers, featuring many designers, artists, animators, programmers, QA, and more from across the Metro game franchise.

In moving on from its established IP, Kyiv, Ukraine-based Reburn is doing something rare. Most game companies get addicted to sequels. But Reburn is taking a risk on brand new IP. The world and narrative of La Quimera is written and created by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, The Neon Demon) and E.J.A. Warren.

4A Games was founded in Kyiv in Ukraine in 2006, and development of Metro 2033 began. The company built its own 4A game engine.

In 2007, 4A Ukraine worked through its Cyprus office to sign a deal with THQ to fund development and publishing of Metro 2033. The IP rights went to THQ as part of the deal, but the IP rights to the game engine stayed with 4A Ukraine.

The title came out in 2010, and it was a hit as a triple-A game. Then THQ signed up for the development of Metro Last Light.

But in 2012, THQ went bankrupt and the rights to Metro Last Light were acquired in an auction by Koch Media, operating under the Deep Silver trademark.

In 2014, Russia attacked Ukraine for the first time. Part of the team left and founded their own studio in Malta.

“The situation was not that great, and some people wanted to leave the country. We arranged and helped them out a bit, and they have set up a studio in Malta,” Lymar said.

That studio became 4A Malta, and they agreed to jointly develop a third game, Metro Exodus. Both studios worked together closely on it. The Metro Exodus title released in 2019, and both studios had grown enough to want to work on their own games independently.

In 2020, 4A Malta was acquired by Embracer Group, which also owns the Metro IP. But 4A Ukraine received additional funding to independently fund its own development of a new project based on its own IP, La Quimera. And now it has rebranded as Reburn. The 4A trademark remained with 4A Malta, but both firms can use the 4A engine. Reburn has been working away, but it had to deal with both the 2022 Russian invasion and COVID-19 as well.