As Deep Silver and Metro: Last Light reach the garden gate, hands in their coat pockets, they turn to face one another. Nobody's asked in for coffee, but both smile a smile which says: "This was nice, wasn't it?"
There will be another Metro game; probably because our Metro: Last Light review gives it the thumbs up.
Metro: Last Light was nearly finished by the time rave review in May.
"It's been a positive experience," Deep Silver CEO Dr Klemens Kundratitz told Joystiq. "I'm very glad we acquired that brand. While it launched in a very dry space in the gaming calendar this year, it still got a lot of attention. Our ambition is to absolutely continue with that brand and we will also, in the next phase, look to making it more accessible for a broader gamer audience."
Hang on: that last bit didn't sound so positive. But perhaps Metro 2033 author Dmitry Glukhovsky can be a steadying influence in the future of the series.
"It is true with a license you have to be aligned with the license holder," said Kundratitiz. "In this case it's Dmitry Glukhovsky who holds the license and he's a great guy. He enjoys the game, the success of the game and we have a good relationship.
"He is a great contributor," Kundratitz added. "Also, going forward, as he has been very positive contributing to the last game – I think he can play an active role for whatever comes in the future."
Kundratitz emphasised that he wasn't about to announce a Metro sequel there and then on the Gamescom floor, but told Joystiq that the Metro name would form a part of Deep Silver's future – as would series developers 4A Games.
So that's good, innit?