Video game development is never easy. Creating just one game can now take the better part of a decade, with hundreds of talented employees working tirelessly every day to achieve the lofty expectations placed on them. And that’s when everything goes smoothly.Developers can run into all kinds of issueswhen creating a game, but few have experienced the same type of turmoil as those behind the upcomingSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
While those who have been followingSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s development journey will know a little about the reasons behind the game’s numerous delays, that’s just scratching the surface of what GSC Game World’s devs have been through over the last few years. The recently released documentary,War Game: The Making of STALKER 2, gives a lengthy breakdown of what the game’s developers have had to endure and overcome while creating the game, and its final moments cement thatSTALKER 2is no longer just a video game sequel, it’s a symbol of the studio and their home country’s resilience.
War Game: The Making of STALKER 2 Proves It’s More Than Just a Game
STALKER 2’s Development Team Is Living Through The Unimaginable
Around half an hour intoWar Game: The Making of STALKER 2, the documentary takes a sudden and dramatic turn from the series' history, mirroring the developers' own lives. In late 2021, fear begins to spread among Ukrainians asthreats of an imminent Russian invasiongrew louder. Those threats turn into violent action, and the country of Ukraine is thrust into a sudden war for preservation.
…Like a Ukrainian flag that is still fluttering, though it’s damaged by wind and missiles.
The majority ofWar Game: The Making of STALKER 2’s runtime is dedicated to showingthe effects of the Russian invasion on GSC Game World. Some developers manage to flee their home country and try to set up new lives in Prague, while others decide to stay in Ukraine, pick up arms, and fight the Russian invaders. All developers watch as their home country is set on fire and loved ones lose their lives, including former colleagues who worked alongside them onSTALKER 2.
STALKER 2 Has Become a Symbol of Ukraine’s Resilience
Towards the end ofWar Game: The Making of STALKER 2, the game’s developers speak about howSTALKER 2has become a wider symbol, not just for the studio’s resilience in the face of war and terror but for the entirecountry of Ukraine. One developer states that the studio is “like a Ukrainian flag that is still fluttering, though it’s damaged by wind and missiles.”
Another developer talks of the emotional weight that’s holding down the entire development team while they’re making the sequel, saying “Behind every element inSTALKER 2, there’s a person who overcame themselves to see it through to the end.” One of the final lines ofWar Game: The Making of STALKER 2summarizes this symbolism perfectly, with the developer stating “We load our weapons with one hand and make the game with the other…that’s who we are.”
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylis a sequel that fans have waited 15 yearsfor, and every developer behind the game is trying their very hardest to deliver upon those lofty expectations. Even in the face of death, destruction, and chaos, GSC is determined to makeSTALKER 2the sequel fans have been waiting for.
We load our weapons with one hand and make the game with the other…that’s who we are.
