GSC Game World’s CEO Answers All of Our Questions About STALKER 2 | gamescom 2023

It’s been a very long time coming, but it surely seems like STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl will lastly be popping out early subsequent yr, with developer GSC World hitting gamescom to speak all about their extremely anticipated sequel. And GSC has fairly the story to inform: after being introduced after which canceled in 2011, revived in 2018, after which delayed amid Russia’s unvasion of Ukraine. But now, we have lastly received extra to see of STALKER 2.

Game director and CEO at GSC Game World Evgeniy Grygorovych made the time to cease by IGN’s gamescom studio to reply our questions on how the staff is doing, the significance of creating a practical recreation of Chornobyl, what audiences can count on after greater than 10 years after the unique, and extra.

IGN: I’ve put a call-out on Twitter asking what folks need to learn about S.T.A.L.Okay.E.R. 2. And proper now the staff is clearly coping with the warfare in Ukraine. It’s had a huge effect on improvement, not only for the sport, however on the folks engaged on it. So all people needed to know the way is the staff, after which how are they feeling now that the sport is out right here for the general public to play?

Evgeniy Grygorovych, GSC Game World CEO: Well, it is a good query. So the staff feels very totally different. Mostly all of our staff are Ukrainians [and] some of the staff members left the nation earlier than the warfare began as a result of we realized that it could occur and we need to maintain everybody secure. And our principal motivation was to avoid wasting everybody. So we’re pondering we’re going to transfer everybody to a secure place after which we’ll resolve what to do subsequent.

And we suggest everybody to get their luggage and journey. We have a plan. We ready the plan lengthy earlier than this. We had so much of buses standing by with drivers for 24 hours, seven days per week, who have been standing close to the workplace, so in case that in some unspecified time in the future everybody is aware of the place to go to take a seat and to maneuver. But that was the time once we realized that it should occur simply earlier than it occurs. And we had an opportunity to maneuver a little bit bit earlier. So for me, I used to be already out of the nation, and for me it was very totally different from the way it felt with the fellows who left there.

It’s scary. It’s very scary. But in some unspecified time in the future when you’re on this, whenever you’re at work, so you’re in nation, the bomb can come and blow every thing. At some level you develop into used to it and it develop into regular. So it is unusual to say, however for a lot of of us, the traditional is when bombs fly, it is okay. Someone died, it isn’t okay, and it’s very totally different. And doing the sport, it helps so much as a result of we are able to concentrate on bringing one thing to this world, to convey some artwork, expertise, a narrative, and that is what drive us and make us really feel higher and joyful at some factors. And it is helped everybody in our staff to develop into steady and transfer ahead.

Some half of our staff goes to the Army, to protection. That was their choice. So I might say simply goes there day one. They haven’t any combating expertise, however they need to stand there and to guard us. And we honor them. We love them for that, and it is tremendous cool. But nonetheless we’re making video games, and it is one thing that we’ll do for I suppose all of the life as a result of it is the perfect job ever. I am unable to discover any job higher than that. But the scenario is very-

Complicated.

EG: It’s quite simple from level of view that there’s a dangerous guys, there’s a good guys and there’s no solution to really feel it in some totally different manner. And so for us it is quite simple, but it surely’s very scary and never okay about it. It appears like okay already.

Well, I am unable to even think about what the staff goes via, what you are going via, but it surely does make me really feel a little bit higher to listen to that you simply discover solace or consolation in growing the sport and dealing on the sport as a staff. So, all people simply needed to know the way you are doing, so I actually admire the candid reply very a lot.

Talking concerning the recreation, it has been 10 years. So what would you need to inform the viewers about S.T.A.L.Okay.E.R. 2 and the way to set their expectations for what they will be experiencing on this?

EG: Yeah, this is superb query as a result of what we are able to see now from the gamers expectations, what do they count on from the sport, what sort of the sport they suppose the S.T.A.L.Okay.E.R. 2 is, is essential as a result of they face the actual recreation, what we did and never what a participant imagined. And it develop into irritating if you’re anticipating not the fitting recreation what we’re doing. So it is occurred to everybody I see.

When gamers begin enjoying with out expectations like gamers, so they only begin and neglect about what they suppose the S.T.A.L.Okay.E.R. 2 is and begin to play what they see, they develop into good. They begin investigating, discovering what’s there, what the mechanics, the way it performs. This recreation is completely totally different from different video games. And I do know that everybody can say this about their recreation, however for us it is very exhausting to search out one thing shut as expertise as a result of it is very totally different genres. And there’s a large open world video games with big maps and totally different settings, however there is no such thing as a so large video games in Chornobyl, lifelike, fashionable setting with so much of science fiction, very deep and nonlinear story. So it is very heavy on plot and nonlinearly.

I’m curious, did you find yourself gameplay mechanic clever leaning extra right into a navy sim type gameplay?

EG: We do not plan to do it navy type. So we do not suppose that S.T.A.L.Okay.E.R. is about navy. It’s about common human whose life by some means leads that this individual need to go to the zone and discover one thing there from himself. And it is very totally different from everybody who goes to the zone, the stalkers who’re there and the gamers who play because the stalker. And we needed to offer the expertise and feeling how you possibly can really feel in actual life, as a result of the Chernobyl zone and stalker map may be very near what you will discover truly in actual place.

Did you go to the actual place truly?

EG: Yeah. We’ve been there so much, and it is essential to do that recreation. And it is one of essentially the most stunning locations on this planet. I do not suppose there’s some place else, the place like this, the place it’s a city that is develop into deserted in in the future, when outdated one who stay there, they only need to be evacuated with out taking any garments, something. And it seems completely frozen second. And it is tremendous, it isn’t scary, it is superb, and it is not possible to make it some place else as a result of it will price only a lot of cash simply to evacuate entire the town.

And the character takes its half there, so the timber begin to develop via the asphalt, there are timber rising on prime of the buildings, such as you see the 5 degree constructing. So it is excessive, and there’s a tree, and it seems so futuristic and implausible and superb. And getting this expertise helps so much to do that recreation to grasp what we need to present.

We need to give a portion of this expertise too, and since of this actual place, and it is simply 120 kilometers from the Kyiv, so it is very shut. And we need to each give this expertise and provides a heavy story and in addition convey very lifelike, not lifelike, however the recreation ought to seems prefer it’s lifelike. So there are so much of particulars to the weapons, to the connect upgrades and it is… Yeah.

I’m curious, one of the places you have proven in so much of the trailers is the array. For instance, the radar array. I believe it is referred to as the Duga array. I do not know the identify particularly.

EG: So it is an precise development, what was constructed by navy. It was secret why it is there, however essentially the most lifelike clarification is that it is a large radar that may discover if somebody will launch the nuclear missile, ballistic missile on different elements of the planet, the alerts will go and bounce via the environment. And this large radar might get this data and inform about this.

What is it in your universe although? Because it is all electrified and it looks like there’s anomalies there. I’m curious to study extra.

EG: It’s only a location. It’s not a key half. It’s not a personality of the sport. It’s extra like a ornament, large ornament. There is a narrative round it, but it surely’s not taken as one thing very key. There is, I do not need to make spoilers, however yeah.

For extra gamescom interviews, take a look at our chats with Phil Spencer and Zack and Deborah Snyder. And for every thing else, take a look at our roundup the large bulletins from day 1.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director in addition to co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.