S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 development has "shifted to the sidelines", GSC Game World say

rockpapershotgun.com:

GSC Game World say that development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has been "shifted to the sidelines" in a video responding to the war in Ukraine, but pledged to continue making the game in future.

"The previous week, we were editing the video about our motion-capture studio", the video begins, showing footage of actors in mocap suits. "We wanted to show how the cutscenes were created. Took time to watch videos, write scripts and speak with actors.

"The previous week was ages ago." The video then shifts to footage of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

"On the 24th of February, Russia declared war on Ukraine and sent rockets, tanks and soldiers to our Homeland," the video continues. "Our country is forced to fight for existence again. Seems like this is the price of freedom. This video is our answer to 'How are you guys?' question. Now we are striving to help our employees and their families to survive.

"The game development shifted to the sidelines," the video ends. "But we will definitely continue. After the victory. Glory to Ukraine."

GSC Game World were one of several Ukrainian developers to respond to the invasion of Ukraine last week, saying that they "hope for the best, are ever sure of our armed forces and our belief in Ukraine." They also promoted a fund set up by the National Bank of Ukraine to raise money for the armed forces. (You can also donate to more humanitarian causes, such as Doctors Without Borders.)

In January, Stalker 2 was delayed from April until December in order to "live up to the expectations" of players.