S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an open-world first-person shooter survival horror game that has made waves since it launched in November. Reaching over a million sales in its first 48 hours, as well as turning a profit in its first month, gamers have fallen in love with Heart of Chornobyl. After over a year of turmoil for GSC Game World working out of Ukraine, it's incredible to see the game reach the potential gamers hoped it would.
With the strong start, it's clear there's a massive demand for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. world. GSC Game World isn't done yet, either. The developer took to X today to not only thank fans but also begin unveiling their plans for 2025 for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Get ready for a packed year of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
The еnd of the year message from the GSC Game World team about plans for 2025. pic.twitter.com/vxzNWXIoccDecember 20, 2024
Continued S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl support
In the coming year, GSC Game World laid out the following for their latest release:
- We will continue to update S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 in the upcoming year.
- We will be ready to share the content roadmap for the game at the beginning of 2025.
After the 1.1 patch released over 1,800 fixes, I'm incredibly excited to see them promise continued support of S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2. While it may be commonplace amongst successful titles, when it comes to AA studios, that's not always the case. Often, what you see is what you get, where fans will go without any further support once a level of fixes has been placed on the game.
As for what content will be coming, we already know for certain what one piece of content will be, which is multiplayer. I don't know if we should count it as just a single content addition; for all we know, their plans have changed. However, from what was revealed in 2022, the idea for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 multiplayer is to lean more classical than anything like extraction or battle royale.
Even with that said, I do wish they'd expand a bit more on that traditional idea. Especially considering they've already reached profit before the much-rumored, but denied PlayStation 5 version launches at some point in the future. Take Hunt: Showdown as an example. How cool would it be if they leaned into the horror aspect for a PvPvE mode?
For those unaware, Hunt: Showdown is a mix of PvP and PvE combat where players fight to earn monster contracts. Every map has either one or two contracts for players to eliminate and then extract with earning experience, currency, and loot. For me, it's the best extraction shooter on the market, and I can't help but dream about something like that for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.
Single-player is a different story. The obvious answer to that is to extend the map, add new story missions, and a bunch more weapons. Who says the story has to end where it does? Story content could very well be added prior to the endgame, or, without giving away any potential spoilers, we could see an entirely new storyline emerge.
No matter what you fancy, if you want more content for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, it's coming. You just need to be patient and let GSC Game World cook a bit more.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Legends of the Zone Trilogy getting next-gen patch
Fans of the originals are also in luck. GSC Game World announced a next-gen patch is in the works for console versions of the trilogy. Even better, fans of the PC versions will also receive updates!
- The next-gen patch for the console versions of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy will be released next year. We know you've asked us to update the PC versions of the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, and we also plan to do that. Keep an eye on our social media so you don't miss the exact dates.
No hate, but I'm one of those people who has somehow managed to go their whole life without playing any other S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game. I even have some copies I don't even remember buying in my Steam library that have gone unplayed since they arrived. You can tell I'm a true Steam gamer. Once this update drops, I promise to pick them up and play as much as my schedule allows. I already can't keep my hands off S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, so I know I'm in for a treat once the updates arrive.
Are you excited for more ST.A.L.K.E.R. updates and content? What do you want to see from the multiplayer mode? How about single-player? Will you be diving into the next-gen patch for the original trilogy? Let us know below or on social media. I'll check out the responses! Until next time, good luck in the zone, Stalker!
