Russian Hackers Leak STALKER 2 Game Material, Threaten to Release Gigabytes More

gamerant.com:

According to a recent post on social media, Russian hackers have leaked game material pertaining to GSC Game World's STALKER 2. The upcoming game is one of the most anticipated titles in 2023, particularly among the first-person shooter fanbase. As STALKER 2 pushes for a 2023 release, the studio appears to be facing a much more demanding situation than it may have previously expected.

STALKER 2 has undergone over a decade of development, mostly due to financial constraints during the first few years. After the game was eventually unannounced in 2018, the Ukraine-based studio faced further issues during the development process, partly due to the coronavirus pandemic, but most recently, the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war. Although despite the devastating effects of the Russian invasion, the STALKER 2 team continued development work. Reports even surfaced showing how some of the developers were finishing the game in the middle of the war, while some STALKER 2 developers fought in an effort to help fight off the Russian forces. Now, with the game set for a 2023 release, GSC Game World faces another challenge.

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In what appears to be an effort from a group of Russian hackers going by the name «Vestnik TSS», a recent post on the Russian social media site VK details a list of demands from STALKER 2 developers. The post in question includes a set of images and artwork that are believed to be from the game, with the hackers threatening to release «tens of gigabytes» of unreleased game material if the needs aren't met. Accordingly, the hackers demand that GSC Game World changes its attitude towards players from Russia and Belarus, and «apologize for the unworthy attitude towards