To say developer GSC Game World has been through a lot to make Stalker 2 would be an understatement. The team has spent the last few years trying to create the game in a literal warzone. Now with the release only a month away the studio, in partnership with Xbox have released a chilling documentary War Game: The Making of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Documentary to show the hell the team has gone through to create the game.
The 90 minute documentary offers an in-depth look at what the team endured during the trying times of development. A studio of 500 employees coming together to develop a game can be hard enough, let alone in a warzone. The documentary tackles everything from from capturing the essence of Chornobyl and Ukraine, cultural independence, and game development in a collapsing world to personal and collective resilience & overcoming loss.
"This film isn't just about the hardest game development of all time. It's about resilience and the unyielding human spirit in the face of unimaginable challenges. It's about the importance of creation in a time of destruction...a defiant act of making something meaningful in the face of adversity", – says Andrew Stephan, Film Director.
Stalker 2 had become a bit of a symbol of the resistance within Ukraine, showing the world that while each and everyday they fight for survival, they continue to create and do their best to keep their everyday life as normal as possible. War or not the project must go on.
"Speaking personally, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is the biggest and the most complex video game in my life. It was ambitious from the very beginning, but turned out to be an ultimate challenge by itself. It's extremely important and extremely personal, and it's a game made in the most stressful circumstances possible. That includes the pandemic, relocation, cyberattacks and, above all of that – war tearing our Homeland apart.
I wish the war never happened. I wish all of this never happened. But it did. And we're grateful for the opportunity to share all of this with the world, because the world should know. This is us. This is our story", – says Mariia Grygorovych, Creative Director on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.
The huge journey that is Stalker 2 has almost reached its peak with the game set for release on November 20th for Xbox Series consoles and PC. The game will launch day one into Xbox Game Pass.
