Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World has announced that the hotly-anticipated open-world FPS game will remain in the oven for several months longer. The studio today took to Twitter to explain the decision, citing a need for further development time.
According to the statement on the game’s Twitter page, an additional seven months of development are needed “to fulfil our vision and achieve the desired state of the game.” With the studio focusing on ensuring the game is as polished as it can be, the Stalker 2 release date has now been pushed back to December 8, 2022.
While players will have to wait that little bit longer before jumping into a post-apocalyptic Chernobyl, GSC Game World has promised that “more information, updates, and showcases” are on the way in the meantime. The last we saw of Stalker 2 was a gameplay trailer back at E3 2021.
In December, the studio came under fire after revealing plans to add NFTs into Stalker 2 and introducing the Stalker Metaverse. Such was the blowback from fans that GCS Game World pulled a U-turn on the decision a day later, while revealing the game will have a multiplayer mode as well, launching after the initial release.
— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) January 12, 2022
Stalker 2 has certainly had a rocky development cycle. Developer GSC Game World ceased development on it for some time in 2011 – over a year after its initial 2010 announcement.
The studio itself was subsequently dissolved for a time, before throwing its doors open once more in 2014. In 2018, Stalker 2 was revived, with a shiny 2021 release date slapped on it. At E3, this was pushed back to April 2022, and with today’s announcement back to December 8.