You’ll have to wait just a little longer for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

GSC Game World

Upcoming survival game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been delayed yet again, but unlike some of its other delays, it’s only by around two months. Developer GSC Game World posted a video and statement on Thursday saying the game’s release, which was previously set for September 5, will now be November 20. It wrote that the developers want to take the time to fix some bugs (or “anomalies,” as it calls them).

The video, posted on YouTube and X (formerly Twitter), says the zone will remain “out of bounds” until that date. The player character then opens their table to see the new date. “Really?” they say. “Again?”

The developer also announced that fans will be getting more S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 details on August 12 in a developer deep dive. It’ll feature new footage, a full quest walkthrough, and interviews, which is more than what we’ve gotten throughout the game’s development cycle. There have been numerous trailers and music spotlighted, along with a dev diary, but a lot of the game still remains a mystery.

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— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) July 25, 2024

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has had a long road to completion. An earlier version was initially supposed to release in 2012, but it resurfaced in 2018, and was publicly shown off in 2021. By then it was set for 2022, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where GSC Game World is based, affected development.

In an intense dev diary released in June 2022, developers highlighted how their lives were upended by the war, with some displaced from their homes while others volunteered or joined the armed forces. Development was eventually moved to Prague in the Czech Republic.

GSC settled on the September 5 date after another delay, noting that the team “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.”

Based on Digital Trends’ Summer Game Fest preview, it seems like it’ll be worth the wait. From our short playtime, it looks like a tense survival game with a clear, unique vision. The game is an Xbox console exclusive, and will be launching on Xbox Series X/S, PC, and will be available on Xbox Game Pass.

Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…

Hustler or pioneer? Meet the architect behind S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s canceled NFTs

This week was supposed to be a huge moment for the future of NFTs in mainstream video games, but the celebration was cut short. On Wednesday, GSC Game World announced that it was partnering with popular gaming blockchain service DMarket, which sells NFT items for games like Dota 2 for upwards of $1,000 a pop, to bring NFTs to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl. Players would get the chance to bid on unique items with cryptocurrency and maybe even get scanned into the game as an NPC. It was a much more ambitious pitch than the comparatively conservative Ubisoft Quartz.

One day (and a lot of angry tweets) later, the project was fully canceled. GSC Game World decided to remove any NFTs from the game on Thursday evening, just an hour after posting a statement that doubled down on the technology. It was a shocking 180 that dealt a blow to the technology’s future in gaming.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 cancels all NFT plans shortly after doubling down on them

Developer GSC Game World has canceled all of its NFT plans for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl one day after announcing them. The announcement comes an hour after the official S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Twitter account published a statement doubling down on its commitment to NFTs.

Yesterday, GSC Game World and blockchain gaming service DMarket announced a partnership that would bring NFTs to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. Players would be able to bid for unique items in auctions and have the chance to get scanned into the game as an NPC via photogrammetry.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 to feature NFTs, turn players into NPCs in exchange for crypto

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl is the latest video game to adopt blockchain technology and NFTs. Players will be able to spend cryptocurrency to get unique items, as well as scan themselves into the dystopian action game as a non-playable character (NPC).

The news comes just a week after Ubisoft announced its own NFT integration, called Ubisoft Quartz, which will bring NFTs into Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s blockchain integration is much more in-depth, though it raises more questions as well.

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