During the Xbox & Bethesda Games Show on June 12, a small icon on a slide suggested STALKER 2 had been further delayed into 2023. This has now been confirmed during the Xbox Games Showcase Extended show with a developer diary showing the reality of living in Ukraine in the midst of the Russian invasion and the difficulty of creating S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 in these times.
STALKER 2 delayed until 2023
STALKER 2 was initially due to be released in April but was then delayed until December to fulfill the team’s vision for the game. Then the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. With buildings being shelled mere hundreds of yards from developer GSC Game World’s offices, the team focused on helping their employees and their families to survive. Many relocated to a new office in Prague, Czech Republic, but some of their staff were left behind, either because they couldn’t relocate, they stayed to defend their country, or they volunteered to help in other ways. They tell their stories in the developer diary above that really needs to be watched rather than described.
Amidst the chaos, the team is resuming development on STALKER 2 and they still managed to create a trailer that shows the beginning of the game.
“The Zone reveals a whole new world! We can stick with the old one, fearing change… but tell me, do you want our descendants to remember us as cowards? Or those who dared to venture forward to a new, better humanity? Despite the threats that veil the journey from the ordinary world we used to call “homе“ to the unknown. Would we dare to pursue the comprehension of human nature that shapes under the prism of a new reality? However, we are already on this path. The path to the Heart of Chornobyl itself!”
In other news, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be getting a free rogue-lite game mode called The Forgotten Saga this summer. Elsewhere, a Jurassic World Escape Room has been unveiled as part of Universal’s Great Movie Escape Attraction.
