‘Stalker 2’ release date: GSC Game World confirms 2023 launch in a new trailer

“Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl” may not have been part of the Xbox showcase last Sunday, but Ukrainian video game studio GSC Game World has released a new trailer for the game along with important news. The developer confirmed that the game would no longer launch this year for a very understandable reason.

The new trailer does not offer a peek into the “Stalker 2” gameplay, but fans will find new scenes mostly set in the Zone. The video teaser ends with the simple announcement that the sequel is now slated to launch sometime in 2023.

This should not be a surprise, though. While the new trailer was not shown at the main Xbox-Bethesda event, “Stalker 2” made a brief appearance as it was included in the list of games scheduled to be released in 2023.

A specific release date remains unknown, but fans are very understanding of the situation, given that the developers and their families have been affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine. Shortly after the armed conflict started, GSC Game World announced that the “Stalker 2” development had been suspended.

Aside from releasing the new “Stalker 2” trailer, GSC Game World marked the 111th day since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with an impassioned developer diary video. But this is unlike other development updates as it focused on how the war has affected the studio and the developers. The video shows before and after footage of the studio, along with clips of employees scrambling to secure equipment in the office and torn-down buildings less than a mile from their headquarters.

While several employees were able to flee Ukraine, the dev diary also included messages from developers who were unable to leave and had to work in makeshift workstations while bracing for constant air raid sirens. Some “Stalker 2” developers also joined the Ukrainian army and briefly appeared in the video to greet fans and promise to return to working on the game after the war.

GSC Game World left fans with the message, “This is just a small fraction of our story. Many of our colleagues are currently unable to publicly share their experiences due to safety concerns.” The video ends with a call to “support Ukraine” and a link to the United 24 website, where “Stalker 2” fans can make donations to the Ukrainian government.