Stalker 2 studio releases 90-min documentary about finishing the game during Russia’s invasion

Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World has released a 90-minute documentary about completing the game during a Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian studio was originally set to releasse the game in late 2022, but when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 development was put on hold.

The invasion led to some of the developers relocating to a new office in the Czech Republic, but the combination of this upheaval and Russia’s continued attack meant the game’s development continued to suffer numerous delays.

However, the game is finally set for release on November 20, and the documentary released today – which is called War Game: The Making of Stalker 2 and can be viewed below – sheds some light on the past few years of development.

The documentary was created in partnership with Xbox and was directed by Andrew Stephan (who previously directed the four-hour Xbox documentary Power On).

“This film isn’t just about the hardest game development of all time,” Stephan said in a statement. “It’s about resilience and the unyielding human spirit in the face of unimaginable challenges.

“It’s about the importance of creation in a time of destruction, a defiant act of making something meaningful in the face of adversity.”

Stalker 2 creative director Mariia Grygorovych added: “Speaking personally, Stalker 2 is the biggest and the most complex video game in my life. It was ambitious from the very beginning, but turned out to be an ultimate challenge by itself.

“It’s extremely important and extremely personal, and it’s a game made in the most stressful circumstances possible. That includes the pandemic, relocation, cyberattacks and, above all of that, war tearing our Homeland apart.

“I wish the war never happened. I wish all of this never happened. But it did. And we’re grateful for the opportunity to share all of this with the world, because the world should know. This is us. This is our story”