GSC Game World’s PR manager, who is now working on the highly awaited STALKER 2, became a guest on the podcast “Not brought in”. Zakhar Bocharov provided detailed responses to several of the hosts’ questions regarding the development of STALKER 2.
Since GSC and Microsoft signed a nondisclosure agreement, Bocharov was unable to respond to every single question, but he did provide some information. One thing he ensured is that the STALKER 2 will be very stable at the release.
- GSC wanted to make a sequel on the original X-Ray engine, but it is outdated. The developers sifted through other options for the actual engines but settled on the Unreal Engine.
- GSC calls mod support a priority and will try to implement it already in the release version of the game. The modding community is very important for developers. Support for mods on Xbox is also being explored.
- Bocharov promised that STALKER 2 on release will be much more stable.
- The life simulation system A-life has become “more meticulous and more detailed.” All interactions between factions, monsters, NPCs will take place even while the player does not see it. “A-life 2.0 is a different level of performance. We’ll pay enough attention to it closer to release. It’s a wildly cool system that works really well and there will be something to show. “Bocharov gave an example of a fight between wild boars, the consequences of which the player can see. He did not disclose what would really work “at a new level”.
- The open world of the Zone will offer a “non-linear storyline with a huge number of branches and different endings.” It is promised that the Zone will match the scale of history. The single-player mode is the main one in STALKER 2.
Bocharov mentioned that…
This is a game that you want to be bought and replayed for the sake of history.
STALKER 2 doesn’t have any official release but is expected to release in late 2021. Also, the game will only release on Xbox Series X/S and PC.