S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was released on November 20, 2024, with numerous bugs and performance issues, yet it became a success on Steam. The developers discuss why the survival shooter had to be released in this state and why another delay was not an option.
This is the situation: Stalker 2 (stylized as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2) was released on November 20, 2024, after several delays. Despite the extra time, the developers at GSC Game World were unable to iron out all the bugs by the release date.
Our colleagues at GameStar even issued a purchase warning, with Dennis Michel stating in the GamePro review: “Stalker 2 is truly not a bad game. However, it was released too early and with significant flaws in game design.”
True Stalker fans, however, are tough, and despite all the shortcomings, the survival shooter stands at an impressive 84% positive on Steam with about 50,000 concurrent players. At its peak, there were even over 120,000 (via SteamDB).
The game’s success is likely also due to the developers promising improvements and already delivering numerous patches. Now CEO Ievgen Grygorovych explains in an interview with Eurogamer why another delay was not an option despite known issues.
As if you have run several marathons
Why Stalker 2 had to be released: The head compares the game’s development, including the delays, to running multiple marathons.
It is very difficult to describe the state when you have been in an intense work process for many months and are doing more, more, more than you could actually do. It was also a very stressful and overwhelming time, according to Grygorovych.
Despite all efforts, the game was never in a state where everything was fine. Considering the end of the year and the upcoming lucrative sales period, it was finally decided to release Stalker 2 in the best possible condition.
According to Grygorovych, it would not have been possible otherwise.
You have absolutely no energy left, and you decide – should we run another marathon? And you simply can’t say “Yes, let’s run another marathon” because you are already exhausted.
[…]
You are so tired that you would just die if you said “Let’s run another marathon.”
Why the time was particularly taxing for Grygorovych and his team is showcased in a documentary about the development of Stalker 2. Because GSC Game World is a Ukrainian studio, the development history was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian war of aggression.
You can watch the documentary here in its original version with subtitles:
That his game is now well-received by players despite everything and has attracted media attention pleases Grygorovych: “It is something so insignificant considering the magnitude of the country, but they spoke about the game.”
The studio head explains: They are artists, creative people. The game was their way of doing something for their country. “When you finish a project, you release it and show that it is a good game. And not everyone will love it, that’s okay. But we made the people who like it happier.”
What do you think about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2? Have you already purchased it, or would you prefer to wait until the game has been improved a bit more? Feel free to let us know in the comments. If you want to learn more about the adverse conditions under which the survival shooter was developed, you can read more here on MeinMMO: Hackers extort one of the most desired games on Steam – Ukrainian developer reportedly should be nicer to Russian players
