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The highly anticipated post-apocalyptic survival sequel from GSC Game World has suffered myriad delays, so you may be wondering when the STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl release date will be. Now, the developer has taken to social media to give statement including good news and bad news. The upshot is that STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl will no longer hit its Q1 2024 release target, but the good news is that a new, specific date has been confirmed.
The game’s been in something of an understandable limbo of late, due in no small part to the ongoing war between Russia and the studio’s home of Ukraine. Many in the development team at GSC Game World have even enlisted as part of the Ukrainian armed forces. Previously they released a trailer to both reassure fans of the series the game was still being worked on and dedicated the below trailer to the friends and colleagues they’ve lost or are otherwise currently fighting in the war.
Now that you’ve been given a taste of the post-nuclear adventure you can expect once it drops, keep reading to find out when exactly it gets released.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl release date
A lengthy statement from GSC World revealed that the STALKER 2 Heart of Choronbyl release date is now set for September 5, 2024. The studio has called this the game’s ‘final release date announcement’ – so they don’t expect it to change any further before the game arrives.
The statement in full – posted to the studio’s Twitter account – was posted as an open letter to fans, along with a brand new trailer for the game.
“Dear Stalkers,
Last year, during Gamescom 2023, we finally had the chance to meet in person. We gathered around the campfire with you to share something valuable that we have been creating for you for all these years — a small part of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Publicly, for the first time ever. Our one-time initiative then transformed into a journey from campfire to campfire across France, Brazil, Singapore and other countries. Thousands of players were able to play the game themselves and give us the much-needed feedback afterwards. And as true friends always do, you shared your honest thoughts about the game. Both positive and negative, and we are thankful for that. From your insights, we figured out two key points: the one to celebrate and the one to consider seriously.
The first one: the Zone remains the Zone. In its true beauty and after our likeness. The game absolutely feels and plays like S.T.A.L.K.E.R, the atmosphere, hardcore style, harsh and unwelcoming environment are ready to cook, and we can’t be more grateful for these words, as they basically sum up both the key intention and the main inspiration for the project from the very beginning at the same time. The second one was: the gear in the backpack should be checked one more time to be completely sure it will not fail us in the most needed moment. On the technical side of things — the game needs more time.
Throughout the frankly challenging development process, we understood the time was of the team’s main essence. Seeing the scope of polishing and understanding that we can’t push your patience too much, we were absolutely dedicated to releasing the game in Q1 2024, and we worked extra hard to meet the release window. That, however, doesn’t change the fact that at the beginning of this year, we still witnessed the certain amount of technical imperfections that hold S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 below the expected standards for the final experience our fans are waiting for. While there is absolutely no way to make another delay sound less dim, we decided to be clear about our reasons to postpone the game for the sake of yet another wave of polishing.
The final release date for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is now September 5, 2024.
We know that you are waiting for this moment, as well as we do. But the preparation needs to be done so that the journey into the Zone goes smoothly and as planned. Thanks for your patience and continuous support, and be ready to see a lot of info about the game further this year.”
Previously the STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl release date was pencilled in for Q1 2024 for PC and Xbox Series X|S. Of course, the conflict in the home country of GSC Game World caused the game’s production to be put on an indefinite hold. However, development was confirmed to have resumed by summer, once the development team was safe and their families were taken care of, and a second studio was set up in Prague.
They’ve been hard at work on the game ever since, which promises a ‘huge borderless open world’ for players to explore, as well as a ‘non-linear story’ to boot. Hopefully, we’ll hear a more specific release date soon. STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is set to land on both Xbox Series X|S and PC and will be available from day one via Xbox Game Pass.
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