S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Message Board

I always wanted to be able to tell people STALKER will never die, but I’m not sure I wanted it to be like this. First, German publisher bitComposer claimed to have obtained the rights to develop games about Chernobyl’s implausibly bad luck with nuclear power via a book-series-shaped backdoor. When doubt was cast upon the validity of their claim, they confirmed to Jim that the rights are theirs, but hesitated to comment any further as to what that could mean for the series or the sadly defunct STALKER 2. Now, though, the thought-to-be-corpsified remains of original STALKER dev GSC Game World have caught wind of the controversy, and they’re returning fire with fighting words.

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#stalker What people loved most about GSC Game World's S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise were the lonely, post-apocalyptic landscapes that the game let you wander through. But S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s dead now and things are going to be different in the world being built by the former developers of that franchise won't be quite as sparsely populated. More »

Yesterday, we all poured one out and strummed our acoustic guitars in the irradiated rain for STALKER 2. From its ashes, however, Survarium has risen. Be warned, though: this isn’t STALKER 2.5. It’s a brave new MMOFPS world, and the newly christened Vostok Games has no intention of treading water. So then, will it be different? Probably. Will it be excellent? Hopefully. And will it be interesting? Absolutely. Excited, but also a bit hesitant, I mined Vostok’s Oleg Yavorsky for as much info as I could before he had to run off and continue, you know, launching a brand new game company.

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Veterans of Ukrainian developer GSC Game World, developers of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, have formed a new studio called Vostock Games. The company will be developing a massively multiplayer online first-person shooter called Survarium. As RockPaperShotgun reports, it will be a Stalker-like MMOFPS, as the company was unable to secure the rights to the Stalker franchise.

Although S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 is officially "frozen," it feels like this brings closure to the saga that started last December, when word first spread of GSC Game World shutting down. Shortly after, the news roller coaster started, with the studio's fate lifted to uncertain, then to hopeful, and then back down again.

Vostock plans to hold a Twitter Q&A tomorrow, April 26, to discuss Survarium.

I know, I still haven't played S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

When GSC Game World ran into financial problems, the hail mary attempts to save S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 reeked of desperation. There were few viable solutions, and today’s news is that veterans of the team have left to form a new studio and make a brand-new game.

Those veterans have formed Vostok Games, and are already talking about Survarium, a free-to-play MMO shooter, set in the post-apocalyptic near future. The art already has a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. vibe.

The developers have also recorded a developer diary that includes some discussion about GSC Game World closing, what it was like to close the book on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and the plan for Survarium.

Survarium is based on the studio’s own Vostok Engine, and is scheduled for a late 2013 release on PC.

#breaking Just two weeks after promising signs of life from creative studio GSC Game World, it looks like post-nuclear horror FPS S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is dead for good this time. But that doesn't mean that fans of GSC's creepy Eastern Bloc survival shooting won't have anything to play. More »

The GSC veterans have sent word that they are forming a new studio, Vostock Games, and will be making a game called Survarium, which is apparently a Stalker-like MMOFPS. Stalker 2 itself is “frozen” and the team will be focusing on the new game. They have tweeted: “All those asking about funding etc. That is not the issue. We were unable to secure the IP rights to continue with the Stalker franchise.” There will be a Q&A session with Oleg Yavorsky and Joe Willburn tomorrow on Twitter to explain the Survarium project in detail.

The new studio have also circulated a video about their plans, which you can see below.(more…)

The animation video above, the work of animator Sergey Zhukov, was posted on the official S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Twitter account today. He has left GSC Game World, but according to the Twitter account "his work remains." What, like on Twitter? Sure, stuff posted there remains for the longest.

After reports in late 2011 that GSC had closed its doors, spokesperson Oleg Yavorsky said a cancelation wasn't certain and outlined plans to seek funding to finish the game (so, where's the Kickstarter?). We've contacted GSC for a statement -- should we read this animation reel as proof of life? -- and will update accordingly.

Developer GSC Game World has seen tough times in the last six months. After initial reports that the studio was closed, the company started dropping messages on its social feeds that left fans wondering. First was a tweet telling fans there was still reason to hope. Next was a Facebook post saying the game was still in development...

A tweet from the usually rather quiet GSC Stalker Twitter account has assured us that the game is still being worked on. It’s the first word we’ve had on the development of game since January, when we heard that they were seeking funding for the project following the studio’s collapse. That they’ve lasted until now, and that they’re speaking positively, is encouraging, but I don’t doubt that it’ll be a struggle to get the game out the door: the first game was a massive struggle with publisher support. I wonder if crowd-finding an AAA game the size of Stalker 2 is possible? If only Kickstarter would allow non-US funding, they could have all my money.

They point out that there’s no release date, which made me giggle.

Via VG247.

I still haven't played the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and I consider that a mortal sin. I'm sorry.

Confusion over the financial status of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. developer GSC Game World and whether S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 would ever see the light of day continues, but there’s reason to be hopeful.

The development team recently confirmed work on the game revved up again after the holidays.

“The Stalker team is extremely happy!” said the company on its Facebook page. “Why? Because we are continuing work on Stalker 2 after the holidays."

Desire only means so much without money, however, and a spokesperson for the studio told Edge Online that GSC Game World is currently in the midst of figuring that very important part out.

"We are still in the process of seeking funding to back up the project," said the spokesperson. "We are hopeful things turn out well eventually. The team really wants to see STALKER continue."

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is still in development, GSC Game World announced via the official S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Facebook page, writing, "The Stalker team is extremely happy! Why? Because we are continuing work on Stalker 2 after the holidays." GSC is celebrating, for now -- spokesperson Oleg Yavorsky said GSC is still seeking funding to support S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, according to a statement published by Edge.

"We are hopeful things turn out well eventually," Yavorsky said. "The team really wants to see S.T.A.L.K.E.R. continue."

In December, GSC responded to rumors that it would be shut down, saying that there was cause for hope and to await news in January. Things seem to be going well at the moment, but we have contacted GSC for clarification on its financial situation and the continued development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.

The original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. had a torturously long development cycle, and at several points seemed like it was a dead project until, five years after IGN ran our first preview, it shipped. So it's only appropriate that, roughly one month after reports surface that S.T.A.L.K.E. R. 2 was cancelled, GS...

According to this Facebook page update posted last niught, Stalker 2 will continue to be developed. It reads: “The Stalker team is extremely happy! Why? Because we are continuing work on Stalker 2 after the holidays.” This is in spite of news before Christmas saying it was all over. Phew!

We’ve contacted GSC to see if we can find out a bit more about what’s been happening.

GSC Game World, developer of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, was rumored to have shut down earlier this month, a move that would have affected roughly 45 employees. However, GSC still appears to be alive and kicking wiggling its legs slightly, announcing via Twitter that "there is cause for hope!"

In the same tweet, GSC said it "will not be releasing any official news until around mid January," which suggests the studio will still be running in some capacity at least until then. GSC was developing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and we can only hope for some good news in January from the studio.

Just recently we received the sad, sad news that GSC's S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was cancelled. But today, as reported by RockPaperShotgun, GSC had what could be some good news on their Twitter feed. The tweet doesn't say much, just that "there is cause for hope" for Stalker fans, and that we can expect ...

It appears as though S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise dev GSC Game World may not be giving up, at least not yet, with an ambiguous Twitter message from the company's official feed stating, "We will do our best to continue. However, at this point, nothing is certain."

Last last week when reports of GSC's closure were still fresh, the feed reportedly had a message which read, "No we have not closed GSC or cancelled," but it was said to be deleted soon after, according to Edge. A followup missive from the company notes that the website "will continue, with the forum and tech support." Additionally, the GSC shop will apparently carry on "until the nearest planned items sell out."

While the company may not be entirely closed yet, these messages read like little more than the death rattle of a business on its last legs, sadly. Given the circumstances, it stands to reason that development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has stopped, though its unclear what will happen to the IP. We wish the best for the approximately 45 employees said to be affected.

I still haven't played S.T.A.L.K.E.R., despite so much of the game being right up my alley.

If you were hoping Monday would bring cheerful news about the future of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. developers GSC Game World, prepare for a dash of disappointment.

The studio has acting erratic since reports started breaking about layoffs and the purported cancelling of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. Twitter updates were posted and deleted, and then everything went silent.

GSC Game World has since gone public with what could only be considered a disheartening update.

“We will do our best to continue,” said the company’s official Twitter account. “However, at this moment, nothing is certain. Our website will continue, with the forum & tech support. The shop will continue until the nearest planned items sell out.”

The status of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. remains uncertain, as does GSC Game World as a whole. Stay tuned.

Commenting on rumors that the studio is closing and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 put on indefinite hold, GSC Game World gave fans a sliver of hope this morning via Twitter: "We will do our best to continue. However, at this moment, nothing is certain." [Twitter] More »

There was a bunch of art posted here yesterday (thread deleted) from a source which purported to be a former artist at GSC. The images appear to be a couple of environmental scenes and a bunch of concept art. It might make for decent wallpaper which you can gaze at, thinking about what could have been…

Full gallery below. Click for full size.(more…)

#stalker The Kiev, Ukraine based developer that put a dramatic spin on nuclear horror in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series of PC first-person shooters has reportedly closed its doors, leaving the fate of the eagerly-anticipated S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 up in the air. More »

Ukrainian developer GSC Game World, creators of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, have reportedly shut down. The details regarding the closure are currently very s.k.e.t.c.h.y. UkraNews reports, citing sources, that CEO Sergei Grigorovich told the staff in a meeting this morning that he had decided to close the company. GSC is said to have had between 40-50 employees.

RockPaperShotgun, which has been on top of this story, got in touch with GSC and obtained the ominous: "Sorry, no comments at this point."

STALKER 2 was expected to launch sometime in 2012. We'll update as more information becomes available.

Eurogamer is reporting that GSC Game World, developer of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise, is closing down, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is being scrapped...