STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Delayed Once Again, but This Time With a 'Final' Release Date

ign.com:

After years of development and multiple delays, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is delayed once again, but this time with a firm, “final” release date: September 5, 2024.

Ukrainian developer GSC Game World opened up about the challenges the studio has faced getting the apocalyptic PC and Xbox Series X and S shooter up to scratch after a mixed reaction to its debut public showing last year.

“And as true friends always do, you shared your honest thoughts about the game,” GSC Game World said in a tweet. “Both positive and negative, and we are thankful for that. From your insights, we figured out two key points: the one to celebrate and the one to consider seriously.

“The first one: the Zone remains the Zone. In its true beauty and after our likeness. The game absolutely feels and plays like STALKER, the atmosphere, hardcore style, harsh and unwelcoming environment are ready to cook, and we can’t be more grateful for these words, as they basically sum up both the key intention and the main inspiration for the project from the very beginning at the same time.

“The second one was: the gear in the backpack should be checked one more time to be completely sure it will not fail us in the most needed moment. On the technical side of things — the game needs more time.

“Throughout the frankly challenging development process, we understood the time was of the team's main essence. Seeing the scope of polishing and understanding that we can’t push your patience too much, we were absolutely dedicated to releasing the game in Q1 2024, and we worked extra hard to meet the release window.

“That, however, doesn’t change the fact that at the beginning of this year, we still witnessed the certain amount of technical imperfections that hold STALKER 2 below the expected standards for the final experience our fans are waiting for.

“While there is absolutely no way to make another delay sound less dim, we decided to be clear about our reasons to postpone the game for the sake of yet another wave