S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
On 20 November, the long-awaited sequel to the cult first-person shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was released. In just the first two hours after the launch, the game gathered more than 100,000 simultaneous players on the Steam platform, which was a significant achievement for the Ukrainian developer. According to the data published by Galera News with reference to Forbes Ukraine, more than 76% of the first 2,000 reviews for the game were positive.
Fans had to wait 14 years for the sequel to the legendary series. In 2010, GSC Game World announced the start of work on the second part, but the project faced several problems. The release was postponed six times due to a lack of funding and other difficulties, including the war in Ukraine. However, on 20 November, the game finally became available to players, and its first results confirmed the high interest of users.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 features realistic graphics created on Unreal Engine 5, cinematic quality models, and a unique A-Life 2.0 system that uses artificial intelligence to control the behavior of characters and mutants. The game received a full Ukrainian localization, including text, voice acting, and subtitles, which makes it especially important for the domestic audience.
Experts are discussing investments in the project. The amount of money is said to be between $30 and $100 million, but Maksym Krippa, the investor and owner of GSC Game World, does not disclose exact data. He started financing the studio in 2020 and became its official owner in the summer of 2023 after purchasing shares from Sergey Grigorievich.
Analysts predict that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will exceed 4 million copies sold, potentially bringing the developers and the investor more than $1 billion in revenue. In the first few days after its release, the game was purchased by about 1.5 million players, and its demand continues to grow.
The shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has already gone down in history as one of the largest and most successful Ukrainian projects in the game industry, confirming the high level of the domestic industry.
