GSC Game World, the Kyiv-based studio behind Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, has been developing the game under extraordinary circumstances. Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, half the studio is working under constant threat, with some employees even joining the military to defend their country. Despite this, the studio is determined to finish the game as a testament to Ukraine’s resilience and talent.
Stalker 2 is the long-awaited sequel to 2007’s Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl, an atmospheric survival game set in a post-apocalyptic version of Chernobyl. Initially scheduled for release in April 2022, the game’s development was disrupted by the war, forcing some of the team to flee Kyiv and set up a new studio in Prague, while others stayed behind to fight or continue development under difficult conditions.
Evgeniy Kulik, a technical producer on the game, expressed the studio’s determination to see the project through, not only as a demonstration of Ukraine’s capability to create world-class video games but also in honor of colleagues lost in the war. One such developer, Volodymyr Yehzov, was killed while defending Bahkmut.
The war has also shaped the game’s development in other ways. The subtitle was changed to Heart of Chornobyl to reflect the Ukrainian spelling, and Russian voiceovers and subtitles were removed following a negative reaction from the Russian fanbase. Despite these challenges, the team remains committed to completing the game, seeing it as part of Ukraine’s cultural resilience.
“We load our weapons with one hand and make our game with the other,” one developer says in a newly released documentary on the game’s development.
As the game nears its expected release in November, Stalker 2 stands as a symbol of Ukraine’s creative perseverance in the face of unimaginable hardship. Evgeniy Kulik emphasizes that it’s about more than just the game: “Games are part of the culture as well, just like music, movies, arts, books, and so on. So, yeah, it is an important work to the world.”
