Stalker 2's long journey to launch has once again been extended, unfortunately. The last delay pushed it back to September, and while GSC Game World seemed pretty confident that it could hit that at the time, technical issues have necessitated another one, this time to November 20.
"We know you might be tired of waiting, and we truly appreciate your patience," says Yevhen Grygorovych, GSC CEO and game director. "These two additional months will give us the chance to fix more 'unexpected anomalies' (or simply 'bugs', as you call them). We are always grateful for your ongoing support and understanding—it means the world to us. We're just as eager as you are to finally release the game and for you to experience it for yourself."
The reasoning is similar to the previous delay, which occurred because, according to GSC, while "it absolutely felt and played like a Stalker game, on the technical side of things, the game apparently needed more time in the oven."
We've been waiting for Stalker 2 since 2010, when it was first announced before the project was largely scrapped in 2011. This version has been in development since 2018, but development was understandably paused in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Only a couple of months later, however, work on the game resumed, but naturally the invasion has continued to impact development.
Frankly, it's been incredible to see so many Ukrainian developers continue to create games and entertain players despite all of this, and that Stalker 2 is still in development at all is impressive. Last year, we named it our "Most Wanted" game during the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, which was voted on by a council of journalists, influencers and developers, including Sid Meier, Tim Schafer and Brenda Romero.
"Many years ago, when the journey we had planned concluded, you refused to leave The Zone," said Grygorovych during the show. "You enriched it with stories, love and life, ensuring the legacy continues through the years. You've shown us that there are still goals to achieve and stories to tell. Your passion has guided us throughout the journey, and I can never express enough gratitude for that. I consider this award a symbol of your unbreakable trust."
While we'll now have to wait until November (or later) to get our hands on the apocalyptic shooter, GSC is still giving us something to sustain ourselves with in the meantime. The studio's first developer deep dive is due on August 12, and will include "never-before-seen content, including interviews and behind the scenes looks into the development process, new footage showing a world overview, various locations, and of course, gameplay, as well as a full video walkthrough of one of the story quests."
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