We know many games in the gaming community that have faced a tumultuous development process, but Stalker 2 is truly a unique case. Initially hindered by Russia’s occupation of Ukraine, the development process has now been further disrupted by a recent incident.
Fire at Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World’s office
As shared by the renowned gaming news source HazzadorGamin on Twitter, a floor of the Stalker 2 developer’s office sustained damage due to a fire that broke out on Thursday. While no one was harmed in the incident, repairs are estimated to cost up to $70,000.
According to reports, the fire occurred near the game’s backup servers, but it is currently unclear if any data loss occurred. One of the game’s developers posted on the studio’s Discord channel, stating: “Yes, it’s true, there was a fire. Thankfully, no employees or office staff were injured.”
They went on to say: “No anomaly, not even a ‘Burner’ (a reference to fire in the Stalker universe) can stop us from pursuing our ultimate goal. We’ve dealt with worse before. We will overcome this.”
The 2023 release date for Stalker 2, which has been over 10 years in the making, has been postponed due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The release date of the game has been uncertain since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February. At that time, GSC Game World was based in Kiev, but it has since partially relocated to the Czech Republic.
However, not all employees could leave Ukraine, and some developers continued to work on the game from the war-torn country, where their lives were upended.
Other GSC Game World employees also joined volunteer efforts in Ukraine or enlisted in the country’s armed forces; among them were several employees featured in a development diary released last June, showcasing how the war affected the team and their work.
Recently, it was confirmed that Stalker 2 will be released in the first quarter of 2024. Whether the office fire will affect the game’s release date is still unknown. We hope to finally see the continuation of this legendary game without further issues. What are your thoughts? Please remember to share them in the comments.
