For Ukrainian-based developed GSC Game World, this immediately halted development on Stalker 2, with the studio claiming that it would not continue work on Stalker 2 until a Ukrainian victory had been achieved. However, two months after the war started and development was stopped, GSC Game World revealed that work on Stalker 2 was continuing. It seems that this delay still managed to contribute to a major halt on Stalker 2’s release, as it is now being reported that the game is facing an indefinite delay, resulting in an “unconfirmed” launch.
RELATED: STALKER 2 Video Shows the Game’s Opening Sequence
As reported by Polish site XGP, it seems that the ability to pre-order Stalker 2 has been removed from the Xbox store page, with the reason for this being that the game has been postponed to its “unconfirmed” date and those who have already pre-ordered the game are set to receive refunds. While this isn’t exactly a surprising move considering Stalker 2’s recent development history, it does not bode well for the future of the game.
Back in June, Stalker 2 was given a new release window of 2023, but now it seems that this is no longer the planned launch date. Microsoft has yet to officially confirm its reasoning behind the pre-order scenario with Stalker 2, but considering the game cannot be purchased on the Xbox store, it seems as though the gaming giant has acknowledged that the future of the title is largely unknown. Stalker 2 was set to be a timed Xbox exclusive, launching on the PC and Xbox consoles before it released for PlayStation some months later.
It hasn’t been stated whether that is still the plan, but at the moment it seems any release of Stalker 2 is uncertain. Despite some of GSC Game World relocating to the Czech Republic, other members of the Stalker 2 development team stayed to fight in Ukraine. The most recent bit of content fans have received on Stalker 2 is the game’s opening sequence, and hopefully in time, more will come from the upcoming survival action title.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE: STALKER’s Loner and Bandit Factions Explained
Source: XGP