Today GSC Game World and Microsoft released a feature-length documentary titled War Game: The Making of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, providing a view behind the scene of the development of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
The documentary focuses on the past few years of development of the game, including the months leading up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine when the Kiyv-based studio braced and prepared to move the developers to safety
After that, part of the studio progressively moved West until they settled in a new office in Prague, Czech Republic, while many decided to stay back and continued to work from Ukraine, some even serving the country in the military on the front line.
We hear about the many hardships that affected development. Some of them were direct consequences of the war like blackouts and air raid alerts. On the other hand, there were relevant logistical and organizational challenges like having to completely reform the cast in Prague while creating a motion capture studio and a recording studio from scratch.
In the meanwhile GSC Game World continued to take care of its developers on both sides, regardless of the financial strain this caused.
We also hear about the hacks and leaks by Russian bad actors, enraged by the decision to remove Russian voice-overs and completely drop sales in the country.
The documentary shows a story of resilience which certainly draws a parallel with the stalwart resistance of the Ukrainian people against the Russian invasion. You can watch it yourself below.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl releases on November 20, 2024, following a slight delay that has been recently announced.
If you’d like to see more of this highly anticipated game, recently GSC Game World also showcased an extensive deep dive video, which provided a look at plenty of the game’s locations, alongside combat gameplay and the creatures that try to survive in the Zone.
We also got to see a trailer focusing on cutscenes and another providing another good look at The Zone.
