GSC Game World has released four new screenshots forSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, showcasing how the upcoming open-world shooter continues to improve as it inches toward release.STALKER 2remains listed as an ambiguous 2023 launch, but GSC Game World’s frequent screenshots are impressive evidence of the game’s progress. Of course, the Ukrainian team deserves all the time it needs to makeSTALKER 2the best game it can be, but it’s difficult not to get excited seeing these impressive visuals.
Those unfamiliar with the ongoing development ofSTALKER 2should know that the game was first planned for release in 2022. However,GSC Game World is based in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine and a key target of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression. Development ofSTALKER 2has since been moved to Prague, though many GSC Game World developers remain deeply embroiled in Ukraine’s defense. A more than understandable delay pushedSTALKER 2into 2023, but fans aren’t asking GSC Game World to rush.
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The latest update onSTALKER 2’s development was shared on the game’s official Twitter account. GSC Game World provided not just four new screenshots of the game, but also a developer update published on Wired delved into the studio’sresponse to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. More than 200 GSC Game World families relocated even before the war began, and now lead development ofSTALKER 2from Prague. But 130 employees remain in Ukraine, including some on the war’s frontlines.
STALKER 2’s new screenshots stand out against the heartrending descriptions of what GSC Game World developers have had to go through over the past year.STALKER 2is a game about the Chornobyl nuclear reactor, but now it’s something more. Thescreenshots ofSTALKER 2show haunting scenes, abandoned homes and infrastructure, and the weapons necessary to exist in such an environment. But there’s beauty there, too, as the sun rises over Chornobyl and new life takes root.
Lead producer Maria Grygorovych describesSTALKER 2as a Ukrainian “national product” now. She says it will showcase that “Ukraine is not only exceptionally effective and brave on the battlefield, but also equally valuable in a sense of cultural legacy.” Grygorovych hopesSTALKER 2will show that to the world, and it’s difficult to argue that GSC Game World’s continued efforts aren’t doing that already.
The screenshots and gameplay that GSC Game World continues to share forSTALKER 2are impressive enough on their own. There’s a reason whySTALKER 2is so highly anticipated. ThatSTALKER 2is being made in such challenging conditionsmake the media GSC Game World shares precious in a profound way.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylreleases in 2023 on PC and Xbox Series X.
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