Since the Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the lives of millions of people have been changed forever. Many developer studios and their employees are also directly affected by the war. The creators of Stalker 2 now show what life between gaming and rocket fire looks like in a haunting developer diary – and despite all the catastrophes they are optimistic.
There is also a new trailer for the game, which takes us to the contaminated zone of Chornobyl – where of course everything is “totally under control”:
Stalker 2 postponed but actively in development
When will Stalker 2 appear? At the Xbox Showcase, the developers once again expressly confirmed that the shooter would no longer be released in 2022, but in 2023. An exact release date has not yet been set.
What new information is there? Most of the work on Stalker 2 is based in Prague, with many employees working remotely. Besides the intro trailer, which you can check out above, there are also some new screenshots from Stalker 2 showing the grim setting:
Stalker 2 – View screenshots from the trailer
Why was the name changed? Stalker 2 was formerly called Heart of Chernobyl, now Heart of Chornobyl. The spelling was adjusted a while ago and now corresponds to the Ukrainian instead of the Russian version of the name.
Dev Diary: Development team in bunkers and on the front lines
A warning in advance: The developer diary shows real scenes that could be disturbing for some (rocket fire, people and animals fleeing or hiding in bunkers, destroyed cities – but no dead or injured).
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The Ukraine war can trigger concerns and fears. You are not alone in this. Let us help you when it gets too much and you need someone to talk to (all offers free of charge):
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GSC Game World is based in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. The city, like many other settlements in the country, has been under regular rocket fire since the beginning of the Russian invasion. The offices of GSC are still intact at the moment, but have been vacated in a hurry, parts of the studio have moved to Prague. But not all could or wanted to leave their homeland.
Men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country as long as martial law is in force in Ukraine. Of course, many GSC employees also fall into this demographic, such as lead AI developer Dmytro Iassenev, community manager Oleksii Ivanov, and narrative designer Maksym Hnatkov, all of whom are currently fighting in the Ukrainian army.
In her developer diary, she and other team members speak for themselves and talk about killed pets and missing parents:
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The creators of Stalker talk about the horrors of war in their developer diary
Despite the extremely difficult situation, developer Hnatkov is optimistic:
After our victory I will return to the game.
In addition to GSC, many other studios have been affected by the Russian invasion. We have created an overview how the war in Europe affects game developers.
Why no comments?
Due to the expected moderation effort, we have decided to close the comment area for this news and not move it to the forum.
