Stalker 2 devs say “all energy” is going into improving the game after fan support gives the team a second wind

GSC Game World’s Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a fantastic game, but it did release in a very rocky state. After years of development, a war in Ukraine and attacks from Russian hackers, the open-world survival game is out and beloved, but still has a way to go. 

Speaking to VideoGamer, GSC explained that the journey is far from done. With a roadmap coming soon, expansions that offer new perspectives in the works and even plans for more accessible modding tools, the studio is putting “all” of its energy into making the game fans deserve. 

Stalker 2 devs are dedicated to fixing the game 

In a conversation with VideoGamer, GSC explained that the years of developing the latest game in the series definitely took a toll. The game’s development has been described as a “marathon” that the team just had to finish and, while it did release in a buggy state, the release helped them to gain a second wind. 

“This was an incredibly tough development process — both physically and, especially, emotionally,” the developer explained. “In the gaming industry, you sometimes spend years working on something that won’t see the light of day for a long time. That always takes effort, but in our case, we also faced a pandemic, a partial relocation, an office fire, hacks, leaks of work-in-progress builds, and, on top of everything, a war in our Homeland.”

The studio explained that, despite the issues, “it was clear we were onto something” as fans explored the Zone. While the game wasn’t exactly polished – which is par for the course for this series – it felt like the franchise fans loved. 

“The main feedback we got was that it was unmistakably S.T.A.L.K.E.R,” they said. “That sentiment only grew stronger after the release.”

The positive reception from fans despite the game’s issues has reinvigorated the Stalker 2 dev team after years of tough development. While there are some detractors within the community, the large outpouring of support from gamers across the world means that GSC can continue to create the game the team has always wanted to, even if it takes a bit longer than expected.

“We’ve said this before, but we put absolutely everything we had into this game — honestly, more than we even thought we could,” we were told. “We hope that comes through. Now, our focus is on listening to players’ feedback and continuing to improve their experience. That’s where all our energy is going.”

For more Stalker 2 coverage, read about the new Desolation mod that makes the game even more masochistic than it already was. Additionally, check out the Stalkour mod that brings advanced movement to the game.