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.