S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl explained

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Developer:GSC Game World
Publisher:GSC Game World
Producer:Slava Lukyanenka
Designer:Yurii Sydorenko
Engine:Unreal Engine 5
Series:S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Released:20 November 2024[1]
Genre:First-person shooter, survival horror
Modes:Single-player

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a 2024 first-person shooter survival horror video game developed and published by GSC Game World. It is the fourth main game released in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. video game series, as well as the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game in 15 years since the release of Call of Pripyat in 2009.

Initially announced following the release of Call of Pripyat, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was planned to release in 2012, before it was ultimately cancelled on the year of its intended release. The game resurfaced years later in 2018, with the development restarted and powered by Unreal Engine 5. It was scheduled to release for Windows and Xbox Series X/S on 8 December 2022, but due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, development for the game was put on hold.

Following multiple delays, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was released on 20 November 2024. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and sold one million copies within two days of release.

Plot

The player character is Skif, a veteran of the Ukrainian Marine Corps who has returned from a 3-year deployment in an unspecified conflict. In the opening, he awakens to find his apartment has been destroyed by an anomaly that has mysteriously appeared outside of the Zone, leaving an unknown artifact in its wake. Looking to earn money for a new home, he is smuggled into the Zone by a scientist, Professor Hermann, along with a piece of technology called the 'Scanner' that creates local anomalies and can apparently "recharge" depleted artifacts. Venturing into the Zone, he finds his initial team he was to make contact with have been killed and sets out alone to use the Scanner in special coordinates where it works. On the third and successful attempt, he is interrupted by an investigation from soldiers of the faction called 'Ward', dedicated to controlling the Zone and stopping its expansion. The soldiers themselves are killed by an unknown third party, who steal Skif's belongings and knock him unconscious.

He awakens and sets out to recover the Scanner and artifact, aided by a friendly loner named Richter. He finds himself on the trail of Solder, who sold him and the scientists the coordinates of where to place the Scanner, collaborating with either the local Stalkers or the Ward in the process.

Development

Early development

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was initially announced in 2010, with a release date set in 2012, by Sergiy Grygorovych, CEO of GSC Game World, stating "After the official sales of the series exceeded 4 million copies worldwide, we had no doubts left to start creating a new big game in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe. This will be the next chapter of the mega-popular game players expect from us." The development of the game was ambitious; it was stated that the game would feature an all-new multiplatform engine, made from scratch to fit S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.

Numerous layoffs and overall attrition during the development of the game had shrunk GSC's employee count by 75%. Two years in, Grygorovych had announced the immediate cessation of all development due to "personal reasons", likely as a result of financial difficulty.[2] GSC Game World was officially dissolved on December 9, 2011.[3] The official Twitter account posted, "We will do our best to continue. However, at this moment, nothing is certain."[4] After several months of uncertainty,[5] [6] an update was posted that the development would continue after the holidays, although it would require funding.[7] However, the cancellation of this build of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 had been formally announced in April 2012 on the company's Facebook page,[8] officially stated to have resulted from dispute between investors, staff, and the original IP rights owner.[9]

Revival

After years of dormancy, GSC Game World was officially reformed in December 2014 to develop Cossacks 3. Four years later, on said game's Facebook page, development of a new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was announced, linking to www.stalker2.com, the game's website.[10] It was later revealed that the game would be developed using Unreal Engine 4.[11] This build of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was announced exceptionally early into development, with it still being in the "design doc phase".[12] Grygorovych later stated on a podcast that the intent of the project's announcement in 2018 was largely to generate hype, in order to strike a publishing deal at E3 2018.[13]

Little information was given regarding the project until E3 2021, where a full gameplay trailer was shown at the Microsoft/Bethesda press conference. The release date was rescheduled to April 28, 2022.[14] In August 2021, the developers revealed that the game was updated to Unreal Engine 5.[15]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

See also: Economic impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Near the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, GSC, based in Kyiv, released a video on their YouTube account which called for financial aid for the Ukrainian Armed Forces,[16] stating that the outbreak of the war and the need to protect GSC employees has led to the game's development being paused indefinitely.[17] This was also followed by a Twitter post which linked to an account to donate to the Ukrainian military and stated "through pain, death, war, fear, and inhuman cruelty, Ukraine will persevere. As it always does".[18] [19] [20] On March 14, 2022, the game's subtitle was changed to "Heart of Chornobyl", reflecting the native Ukrainian romanisation rather than the Russian form.[21] [22] On June 14, 2022, GSC stated in a development diary that the development continues despite some of the team fleeing their homes or joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[23] Russian dubbing in the game was also removed during development, leaving only English and Ukrainian.[24]

In March 2023, GSC said they had been enduring constant cyberattacks for more than a year and anticipated that there could be leaks in the future.[25] In June 2023, GSC announced that hackers had leaked an internal test build to the public.[26]

In May 2022, the development team stated on their official Discord server that the development process continued, and the game was scheduled to release in early 2024.[27] [28] [29] It was delayed again, for further polishing, with a release date of 5 September 2024.[30] It was delayed for the final time in July 2024.[31]

Release

The game was announced to be on Xbox Game Pass from launch.[32] In addition, the game was released as a Microsoft-exclusive release, only releasing on Microsoft Windows and the Xbox Series X/S.[33] This exclusivity, however, is only slated to be for three months following its release, as evidenced from leaked documents as a part of Epic Games v. Apple.[34] [35] [36]

Reception

Critical reception

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl received "mixed or average" reviews from critics for the PC version, while the Xbox Series X/S version received "generally favourable" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[37] The game was subject to numerous technical issues; upon the game's launch, GSC Game World announced in a statement that they were committed to fixing the issues.[38] [39]

Sales

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl sold one million copies within 48 hours of its release.[40]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Yin-Poole . Wesley . S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Global Release Times Confirmed . IGN . 26 November 2024 . November 20, 2024 .
  2. Web site: December 9, 2011 . Киевская компания, создавшая игры S.T.A.L.K.E.R. и 'Казаки', решила самоликвидироваться . The Kyiv company that created the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and 'Cossacks', decided to self-destruct . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624205905/https://ukranews.com/news/121316-kyevskaya-kompanyya-sozdavshaya-ygry-stalker-y-kazaky-reshyla-samolykvydyrovatsya . June 24, 2021 . June 24, 2021 . . ru.
  3. Web site: Hall . Charlie . September 8, 2013 . Stalker fallout: Polygon traces the exodus from Kiev's legendary GSC Game World . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190328115749/https://www.polygon.com/features/2013/9/8/4568598/stalker-fallout-gsc-game-world . March 28, 2019 . June 24, 2021 . . en.
  4. Web site: We will do our best to continue. However, at this moment, nothing is certain. live. June 24, 2021. Twitter. en. September 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210904154130/https://twitter.com/survariumvg/status/146255840310071296.
  5. Web site: Sinclair . Brendan . December 12, 2011 . S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 studio facing uncertain future . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120108060947/http://www.gamespot.com/news/stalker-2-studio-facing-uncertain-future-6347437 . January 8, 2012 . June 23, 2021 . .
  6. Web site: Makuch . Eddie . April 25, 2012 . S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 canceled . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190410124705/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/stalker-2-canceled/1100-6373393/ . April 10, 2019 . April 5, 2020 . .
  7. Web site: Sinclair . Brendan . January 13, 2012 . S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 presses on, but studio needs cash - Report . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203919/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/stalker-2-presses-on-but-studio-needs-cash-report/1100-6348608/ . June 24, 2021 . June 24, 2021 . . en-US.
  8. Web site: Makuch . Eddie . April 25, 2012 . S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 canceled . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190410124705/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/stalker-2-canceled/1100-6373393/ . April 10, 2019 . June 24, 2021 . . en-US.
  9. Web site: The reason we cannot continue.... live. June 24, 2021. Facebook. en. June 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624211859/https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fofficialstalker%2Fposts%2F436937749665479.
  10. Web site: Facebook. www.facebook.com. June 23, 2021. November 9, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201109031527/https://www.facebook.com/cossacks3/posts/2053522958254369. live.
  11. Web site: Hall . Charlie . May 15, 2018 . STALKER 2 announced, scheduled for 2021 release . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180516035349/https://www.polygon.com/2018/5/15/17358508/stalker-2-announced-gsc-game-world . May 16, 2018 . June 24, 2021 . . en.
  12. Web site: Bailey . Dustin . May 29, 2018 . STALKER 2 was only announced so the devs could find a publisher . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624205609/https://www.pcgamesn.com/stalker-2/stalker-2-publisher . June 24, 2021 . June 24, 2021 . . en-GB.
  13. Web site: Как Делают Игры 222. Отвечаем на вопросы. live. YouTube. May 28, 2018 . June 24, 2021. June 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624220406/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw-kzRGRgGw.
  14. Web site: Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl Launches In April 2022, On Xbox Games Pass At Launch. GameSpot. Alessadro. Barbosa. June 13, 2021. June 24, 2021. June 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210623191327/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/stalker-2-heart-of-chernobyl-launches-in-april-2022-on-xbox-games-pass-at-launch/1100-6492799/. live.
  15. Web site: Birch . Nathan . August 11, 2021 . STALKER 2 is Running on Unreal Engine 5 Confirms GSC Game World . August 12, 2021 . WCCFTech . August 12, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210812000849/https://wccftech.com/stalker-2-unreal-engine-5/ . live .
  16. Lights! Camera! War... . 22 March 2022 . GSC Game World . 14 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220313132109/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RUvCVNeOH0 . March 13, 2022 . live . YouTube.
  17. Web site: O'Connor . Alice . January 12, 2022 . S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 delayed into December to try to 'live up to the expectations' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220304235116/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/stalker-2-delayed-into-december-to-try-to-live-up-to-the-expectations . March 4, 2022 . March 16, 2022 . Rock Paper Shotgun.
  18. 1496846354655547392 . GSC_GW . (image) . GSC Game World . 24 February 2022 . 14 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220303235219/https://twitter.com/GSC_GW/status/1496846354655547392 . March 3, 2022 . live.
  19. News: Stanton . Rich . February 24, 2022 . Stalker studio asks for donations to Ukrainian army, laments 'inhuman cruelty' of Russian invasion . . live . 14 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220314224738/https://www.pcgamer.com/stalker-studio-asks-for-donations-to-ukrainian-army-laments-inhuman-cruelty-of-russian-invasion/ . March 14, 2022.
  20. Web site: Carpenter . Nicole . February 24, 2022 . Ukrainian developers ask for support amid Russian invasion . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220314224726/https://www.polygon.com/22948976/stalker-developer-gsc-game-world-ukraine-russia . March 14, 2022 . 14 March 2022 . Polygon.
  21. News: Santon . Rick . March 14, 2022 . Stalker 2 renamed Heart of Chornobyl to reflect Ukrainian spelling . . live . 14 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220315012405/https://www.pcgamer.com/stalker-2-renamed-heart-of-chornobyl-to-reflect-ukrainian-spelling/ . March 15, 2022.
  22. News: Cryer . Hirun . 14 March 2022 . Stalker 2 appears to change its name to the Ukrainian spelling of Chornobyl . en . . live . 14 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220314212703/https://www.gamesradar.com/stalker-2-appears-to-change-its-name-to-the-ukrainian-spelling-of-chornobyl/ . March 14, 2022.
  23. Web site: June 15, 2022 . Новий трейлер S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 та 'щоденник розробників' . uk . The new trailer for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and 'developers diary' . Mezha.Media . June 15, 2022 . June 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220618054848/https://mezha.media/2022/06/15/novyy-treyler-stalker-2/ . live.
  24. Web site: June 14, 2022 . S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 не матиме російського озвучування: дубляж буде українською і англійською мовами . uk . S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will not have a Russian voiceover: dubbing will be in Ukrainian and English . Mezha.Media . November 25, 2022 . June 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220614085133/https://gamedev.dou.ua/news/stalker2-no-russian-voice-acting/ . live.
  25. Web site: Litchfield . Ted . STALKER 2 developer suffers Russia-linked security breach: 'We have been enduring constant cyberattacks for more than a year now' . . . 2 June 2023 . 12 March 2023 . June 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230602142734/https://www.pcgamer.com/stalker-2-developer-suffers-russia-linked-security-breach-we-have-been-enduring-constant-cyberattacks-for-more-than-a-year-now/ . live .
  26. Web site: Chalk . Andy . GSC Game World says Russian hackers are leaking Stalker 2 test builds, please don't look at them . . . 2 June 2023 . 1 June 2023 . June 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230602142732/https://www.pcgamer.com/gsc-game-world-says-russian-hackers-are-leaking-stalker-2-test-builds-please-dont-look-at-them/ . live .
  27. Web site: May 20, 2022 . Produkcja STALKER-a 2 została wznowiona . The production of STALKER 2 has been resumed . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220520192658/https://www.gry-online.pl/newsroom/stalker-2-produkcja-wznowiona/zd21ed1 . May 20, 2022 . May 22, 2022 . gry-online . pl.
  28. Web site: Scullion . Chris . June 12, 2022 . Stalker 2 has been delayed to 2023, Xbox indicates . 13 June 2022 . . October 4, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221004095244/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/stalker-2-has-been-delayed-to-2023-xbox-indicates/ . live .
  29. Web site: Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Delayed To 2024. GameSpot. George. Yang. August 23, 2023. August 23, 2023. August 24, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230824001056/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/stalker-2-heart-of-chornobyl-delayed-to-2024/1100-6517156/. live.
  30. News: Ngan . Liv . Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl delayed until September . 22 January 2024 . . 16 January 2024 . January 23, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240123223239/https://www.eurogamer.net/stalker-2-heart-of-chornobyl-delayed-until-september . live .
  31. Web site: Yin-Poole . Wesley . 2024-07-25 . Stalker 2 Delayed Again, This Time by 2 Months So the Dev Can Fix More 'Unexpected Anomalies' . 2024-07-26 . IGN . en . July 26, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240726060248/https://www.ign.com/articles/stalker-2-delayed-again-this-time-by-2-months-so-the-dev-can-fix-more-unexpected-anomalies . live .
  32. Web site: Barbosa . Alessandro . June 13, 2021 . Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl Launches In April 2022, On Xbox Games Pass At Launch . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210623191327/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/stalker-2-heart-of-chernobyl-launches-in-april-2022-on-xbox-games-pass-at-launch/1100-6492799/ . June 23, 2021 . June 24, 2021 . . en-US.
  33. Web site: Reeves . Brianna . April 30, 2021 . S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 On PS5 Not Planned, Developer Talks Xbox Exclusivity . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204624/https://screenrant.com/stalker-2-ps5-not-planned-xbox-exclusivity/ . June 24, 2021 . June 24, 2021 . . en-US.
  34. Web site: Barker . Sammy . May 2, 2021 . S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Could Come to PS5 Three Months After Release . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624211603/https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2021/05/s_t_a_l_k_e_r_2_could_come_to_ps5_three_months_after_release . June 24, 2021 . June 24, 2021 . . en-GB.
  35. Web site: Donnellan . Jimmy . May 28, 2021 . Is Stalker 2 Coming To PS5? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204725/https://culturedvultures.com/stalker-2-ps5-ps4/ . June 24, 2021 . June 24, 2021 . Cultured Vultures . en-US.
  36. Web site: Smith . Rebecca . May 3, 2021 . S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Exclusive to Xbox for Just Three Months . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204203/https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2021/05/03/stalker-2-ps5/ . June 24, 2021 . June 24, 2021 . PlayStation LifeStyle.
  37. Web site: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Reviews . 25 November 2024 . . en.
  38. Web site: Koch . Cameron . Stalker 2 Dev Admits It's "Rough Around The Edges," But Is "Committed" To Fixes . GameSpot . 26 November 2024 . November 20, 2024 .
  39. Web site: Kennedy . Victoria . Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl dev acknowledges "rough edges", says its monitoring feedback . Eurogamer . 26 November 2024 . November 20, 2024 .
  40. Web site: Yin-Poole . Wesley . 2024-11-22 . S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Has Already Sold 1 Million Copies, With Many More Playing on Xbox Game Pass . 2024-11-22 . IGN . en.

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