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Ukraine-based studio GSC Game World has confirmed it’s pressing pause on development of the upcoming S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl as its staff deal with the ongoing invasion of their country by Russia.
The team confirmed the news in a brief video to concerned fans worried about the team’s well-being last night. Originally, the studio had intended to showcase some of their motion capture work for the upcoming game’s cutscenes. However, plans quickly changed as Russian forces attacked the Ukraine capital of Kyiv, where GSC Game World is based.
Of course, the studio’s safety comes first, and so the video says the team are now “striving to help our employees and their families to survive”. The game’s development has been “shifted to the sidelines” but fans are promised it’ll resume “after the victory. Glory to Ukraine”. The video’s description also included a repeat call for fans to donate to the International Charitable Foundation.
GSC Game World previously announced back in January that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl had slipped to December 8. Understandably, there’s no word if that release date still stands, but the priority is that all working on the game and their families are safe. You can watch the video for yourself down below. Please be warned it contains footage of the Ukraine/Russia conflict that some may find distressing.
