Summary
After a lengthy string of delays over the past decade,STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylis finally preparing to release this year. Ahead of the game’s November launch, the Ukranian team at GSC Game World shared a retrospective message with fans on the journey fresh out of Gamescom 2024. A new gameplay overview and “The Time of Opportunities” trailer forSTALKER 2was also revealed during the event, showcasing footage from The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.
Following the stalker Skif, the successor entry to 2009’sCall of Pripyatwill be brimming with mutants, engaging anomalies, and plenty of radiation to keep players on their toes.STALKER 2also has an immersive open worldto explore in the FPS survival horror style, presenting unique encounters within harrowing, ever-changing environments.
Speaking to PC Gamer at Gamescom,STALKER 2’s technical producer, Evgeniy Kulik, addressed the franchise sequel’s long development haul during challenging circumstances, which understandably led to the game’s multiple delays. In light of Ukraine’s full-scale invasion by Russia in early 2022, Kulik highlighted the pressures involved in developing a game during unprecedented times, which involved members of the development team joining the Ukrainian armed forces to combat the invasion. He also explained how the team continued to steer the title toward completion during the upheaval, and how they supported their colleagues in the process.
STALKER 2 Producer’s Message to Fans Provides Insight Into Game’s Development Journey
When we moved to the Czech Republic just after the Russian aggression, we were working very close to each other. Even after work we’re speaking about the game, we’re making some decisions, we’re constantly talking about what should be improved. And it really helps a lot, because we are really worried about our colleagues, our families back at home, because we have two big studios, one in Prague, of course, and we have a really big office with almost 200 people back in Ukraine, in Kyiv. And those guys are constantly working under a lot of pressure because of constant bombing, constant air raid sirens.
Initially planned to be released in 2012,STALKER 2’s long road to launchwas fueled by other damaging events, including a major fire in the developer’s Prague office and leaked test builds. However, Kulik stated the fans are “providing us a lot of energy to look for,” and the team is excited to hear players’ reactions to the long-awaited sequel. “Of course we are tired. It’s like a long run with so many problems that we faced during the development … Now, we should do our best to finish this project, finish this game, and once again, release it to the public and say: Hey, we are here,” Kulik concluded.
Feedback from the game’s demo and pre-release showcases at Gamescom has been positive, with particular attention drawn towards the graphics and other technical feats. Fans were also thrilled to hear thatSTALKER 2would run at 60 FPS, which will be the only performance option, and the expansive 64 square kilometer open-world map was another talking point.
To sweeten the deal for fans, Nvidia and MSI are working on a newSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl-themed graphics cardfor PC players to indulge in. This collaboration adds to the exciting marketing campaigning driving the fandom towards release day, andSTALKER 2is shaping up to be the most-wanted PC game of the year, designed by the team to “convey Ukraine’s unbreakable spirit to the world.”
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Chornobyl Exclusion Zone has changed dramatically after the second massive explosion in year 2006. Violent mutants, deadly anomalies, warring factions have made the Zone a very tough place to survive. Nevertheless, artifacts of unbelievable value attracted many people called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who entered the Zone for their own risk striving to make a fortune out of it or even to find the Truth concealed in the Heart of Chornobyl.EPIC NONLINEAR STORY IN SEAMLESS OPEN WORLDTake over a role of the lone stalker and explore photorealistic seamless open world in a 64-km² radioactive zone with a variety of environments that reveal post-apocalyptic atmosphere from different angles. Make your way through the Zone to define your destiny as you choose your paths within highly branching epic story.VARIETY OF ENEMIES AND HUNDREDS OF WEAPON COMBINATIONSMeet members of different factions deciding who of them worth your friendship and who deserve a bullet. Engage intense gunfights with a variety of enemies that follow different tactics trying to outsmart you. Choose your preferable firearms from 30+ types of weapons with numerous modifications that allow creating hundreds of distinctive lethal combinations.
