The development team behind the upcoming horror FPS sequel STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl has put out a warning to eager fans expressing caution about leaks that are being spread by malicious Russian hackers. STALKER 2 had been slated to release in 2022 but was disrupted by the catastrophic Russian invasion of Ukraine. With some team members taking up arms against Russian attackers, production of STALKER 2 was temporarily halted and eventually moved to Prague, Czech Republic, where the team seems to be safely nearing the finish line on the long-awaited sequel.
As one of Ukraine's biggest and most renowned game studios, GSC Game World has been the target of malicious Russian hackers over the course of the past year and a half since the invasion of Ukraine began. The first three STALKER titles that had released in the late 2000s have garnered a large following in the PC community, thus anticipation for the long-awaited sequel has been mounting. With STALKER 2 being one of Xbox's larger third-party exclusive titles, many Xbox gamers have been clamoring for the gloomy, atmospheric horror shooter as well, many for the first time.
As GSC Game World continues to ward off Russian hackers while attempting to safely bring the game to the finish line, the studio has a message of caution for eager fans. On Twitter, GSC posted a statement to fans regarding its ongoing situation with hackers. In it, the studio expresses that they've been able to shut down a vulnerability that the hackers have been attacking for the past sixteen months. While this may ease GSC's hacker troubles for now, it warns that information and testing materials from STALKER 2 have already fallen into the hands of Russian hackers and are already being spread around the internet.
GSC goes on to ask fans looking forward to the sequel not to seek out or continue sharing the leaks, as they have the potential to ruin the experience of exploring STALKER 2's dark and scary world. The studio wraps up the statement by once again expressing their unbridled dedication to making STALKER 2 the best it can be in the face of the challenges the team, and Ukraine at large, continue to endure.
The health and safety of the GSC Game World team are far more important than STALKER 2. With that said, it does seem like the move to Prague may have helped development progress, as a statement such as this makes it seem like STALKER 2 might be rolling up on the finish line of development. Until then, eager fans would be wise to steer clear of any and all leaks and spoilers of the highly anticipated FPS horror sequel.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is coming to PC and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.