The developers of Stalker 2, GSC Game World, released a massive 35-minute video to YouTube on Monday teasing the upcoming sequel of their beloved open-world shooter franchise.
In it, the Ukrainian team described how they leaned heavily into the authenticity of the experience. That authenticity applies to the game’s real-world setting around the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. But it also applies to the various other expressions of the game that have been delivered to fans since 2007. So if it feels like you’re looking at some of the same locations from STALKER: Shadow of Chornobyl, it’s because you are, just heavily upgraded for modern hardware.
Given the length of the video, details are still a little sparse for my liking — including on exactly how the oft-mentioned branching narrative actually works. We now know that there will be 35 weapons in the game, and that some of those weapons will have upgrades and attachments. We also know that the inventory system will work much like the original’s, with individual items like healing kits hidden diegetically around the environment. It will still require some amount of Tetris to make everything fit in your pack, especially with the strict limits on encumbrance. The team also mentions that more than three hours of cutscenes were filmed for the game, with a total of 43 different scenes in all.
STALKER 2 was originally expected on Sept. 5, but was delayed to Nov. 20. The final game will be available on PC and Xbox Series X, where it will be included as part of the Xbox Game Pass program and available to all subscribers the day of its release.
