GSC Game World announced today it is delaying Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl. The game will now release on December 8, 2022, as opposed to its original release date of April 28.
The developers released a statement about the delay saying, “These additional seven months of development are needed to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game. Stalker 2 is the biggest project in the history of GSC, and it requires thorough testing and polishing. We are convinced that development should take as long as necessary, especially in the case of such a project.”
The game recently had a bit of a stumble following its announcement of NFT integration. The developers later backtracked on this, removing NFTs entirely. GSC said in a statement, “Based on the feedback we received, we’ve made a decision to cancel anything NFT-related in Stalker 2.”
Aside from this clash with its fanbase, the latter has reacted positively to news of the delay on social media. The general response is to implore GSC to take as much time as it needs to finish the game. Given how long Stalker fans have been waiting for this game (which was originally announced in 2012), it makes sense that they’re willing to wait a bit longer.