GSC Game World's upcoming post-apocalyptic shooter, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, has been delayed once again and is now expected to launch on Nov. 20, 2024.
The reason for the delay is the studio said that it would give it "breathing room to address technical issues" that were found with the game.
Talks of the delay first surfaced on Reddit when a user said that they received an email regarding the date change from the studio itself.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Delayed
Now, the news about Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl getting a later release that was previously announced is public news as the studio has confirmed it in a video. The game has had quite a journey from announcement to release, according to Eurogamer.
It was initially set to come out in 2012 after it was announced by GSC Game World in 2010 but those plans were eventually scrapped due to troubles at the company. Then, it came as much of a surprise for players when it re-emerged in 2017 with a new 2021 release window.
But since then, the development work for the game has had numerous setbacks and this was first seen when its release date was moved to April 2022. Then, it shifted again to December of that same year.
Then, the Kyiv-based developer was forced to put work on the game on hold once more following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Work on Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl continued in May 2022 when some team members relocated to Prague.
Addressing Technical Issues
Game director Yevhen Grygorovych said in a statement that the additional two months will give the studio a chance to fix some "unexpected anomalies."
He also thanked the community for being patient in waiting for the release of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, said IGN.
The studio has been very vocal about what the team has been facing throughout the development of the post-apocalyptic shooter.
During the 2023 Gamescom, GSC Game World also addressed what others called a "downgrade" sparked by Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl's latest gameplay trailer.
What's next for the game will be the premiere of a Stalker 2 developer deep dive in collaboration with Xbox on Aug. 12, 2024. GSC Game World also said that it would be showing off new footage during that time.
When the post-apocalyptic shooter launches later this year, it will be available for Xbox Series X/S and PC players. Another thing that is worth noting is that it would be a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass, according to GameInformer.
