Heart of Chornobyl, the game from the Kyiv team GSC Game World, has faced manifold problems caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, we are confident in the development team’s ability to have their voice heard and to express the entire Ukraine through high-quality video game creation.
Evgeniy Kulik, a technical producer at Stalker 2, shares, “At this moment, half of our studio is under fire, and we could lose one of them any day.” The studio has gone through the pain of losing colleagues to war, so there is a burning desire to finally finish the game and show the world how far Ukraine has come in game development.
The Cost of Chernobyl Stalker 2
Stalker 2 is a shooting game focusing on the battle events in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. This was the scene of the worst nuclear disaster ever to have been documented in history. In 1986, when the Soviet Union was still in existence, a nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl power plant, which is located 90 miles away from Kyiv, exploded, costing 31 lives and sending out radioactive clouds all over Europe. Authorities established a no-people zone of 30 miles around the power station before they allowed tours to resume after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The developers initially released Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl, also known as Chernobyl ‘Still Alive’, in 2007, featuring an alternative history where a nuclear miscalculation caused a second Kittyhawk-level catastrophe, resulting in mutants and other anomalies. Players had an exploration of this post-apocalyptic milieu and combat with the various factions fighting over the waste in the wasteland. Despite the controversial setting that the game had, it went on to become a success with the masses. The original Stalker game was a hit with the gamers.
Fighting the Odds Stalker 2
Stalker 2 was announced in 2010 and was intended to build on the survival gameplay of the first installment. The announcement set the date for the game for April 2022. What happened then is that about two months before this proposed date, Russia invaded Ukraine.
After that, the team revealed very little about the game, but they set the new release date for Stalker 2 in November. Recently, they released a documentary showcasing the game’s development. In it, the development team shares stories of the early days of the war and how they grappled with the reality of an invasion.
Hovering Where Flying is Practically Impossible
Lead producer Mariia Grygorovych called in buses to wait outside the company headquarters in Kyiv, helping employees and their families evacuate to the western borders of Ukraine. In the end, 180 overpeople carried out 140, while the rest remained to fight the war. Some of the team members joined military services, while some stayed and worked on Stalker 2 in between duties.
The Developers’ Insignia of Toughness
For the developers, Stalker 2 has become a symbol of resilience as they continue to press ahead and finish the game in the middle of the war. By doing so, the team hopes that people will understand that Ukraine is capable of making great video games, regardless of the circumstances—difficulty, in this case.
