When Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl came out, it was mostly liked by everyone, but especially loved in Ukraine.
The game was so popular there that it actually caused the internet to crash all over the country because everyone wanted to play it at once, according to GSC’s creative director, Mariia Grygorovych, in an interview.
“It’s a bad thing because the Internet is important, but at the same time it’s like, ‘Whoa!'” Grygorovych said, amazed by how much excitement the game created in Ukraine. “It touched everyone in the country.”
The journey of making Stalker 2 wasn’t easy for GSC’s team. They faced some tough times, like when their studio caught fire because of Russian shelling and
fighting against Russian forces. Due to the war, some developers had to leave Ukraine to keep working safely. Now, GSC’s team is split between Prague and Kiev.
Sometimes, fans really appreciate what creators go through to bring something special to life.
GSC’s story is told in a documentary named War Game: The Making of Stalker 2. It shows all the challenges they overcame to finish this game, which is a sequel to Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl. Grygorovych believes that all the hard work paid off because it brought some joy to their fellow Ukrainians.
“For us and our team, what’s most important is [that] for some people in Ukraine, they feel a little bit happier 1733486634 than they were before [Stalker 2’s] release,” Grygorovych shared, proud of what the game means to their home country. “We did something for our home country, something good for them.”
