Today, GSC Game World, the Ukrainian development studio behind the upcoming first-person survival horror game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is releasing an intimate documentary film. War Game: The Making of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 catalogues the game’s core development since 2018, spanning the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
War Game: The Making of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is an emotionally bold and brave look at the many developers who had their lives unearthed when Russia invaded Ukraine and waged war with the country, starting in February 2022. GSC Game World, a studio based in Kyiv, was well on its way to developing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl for Xbox Series X/S and PC at the time.
The 90-minute documentary covers the origins of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series and how it came to be. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl first launched in 2007 and was based on the real-life Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. GSC Game World was inspired by this 18-mile “no man’s land” radius that was the result of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster. The game pulled in a lot of fiction that directors Andrii and Anton Bolshakov found interesting. The series spun a 2008 prequel S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky and a 2010 sequel S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was first announced in 2018. It wasn’t until 2021 that the game really started getting traction. At the Microsoft E3 conference, GSC Game World announced a 2022 release date for the sequel that was being built on Unreal Engine 5. Unbeknownst to the studio, plans would take a serious turn and geopolitical tensions rose.
In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, placing development on hold. War Game: The Making of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a stark reminder that people make the games we play. As Ukraine defended itself from the Russian invasion, GSC Game World found itself splintered as a large portion of the development team moved across the country to reach safety. However, the studio’s goal to deliver a game fans would love never diminished. GSC Game World has since moved its studio to Prague with the majority of the team following.
War Game: The Making of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a piece of required viewing for anyone with a vested interest in gaming or development. It’s not often we see a story like this being told. Game development is a wonder to begin with. The inner workings of game development are challenging and ever-shifting under regular circumstances. However, add in the real-life struggles Ukraine has been facing, and the story behind S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl becomes even more important to take in.
War Game: The Making of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is directed by Andrew Stephan and produced Xbox. Stephan previously worked on the Power On: The Story of Xbox documentary series. The War Game: The Making of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 documentary is now available to watch on the GSC Game World and Xbox YouTube channels for free.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 launches on PC and Xbox Series X/S on November 20th.
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