Stalker: Legends Of The Zone Trilogy Pre-Orders Go Live In Japan

thegamer.com:

It's been a long time coming for a variety of reasons, but by the end of 2024, Stalker 2 will almost certainly be here. The sequel was first announced in 2012, canceled, rebooted in 2018, and has since had its release date pushed back a few times, most notably when development at Ukrainian studio GSC Game World was disrupted by the Russian invasion. With six months to go until Stalker 2, console players may finally get the chance to play the series' original trilogy.

That's if pre-orders that have gone live in Japan are anything to go by. Spotted by Gematsu, Japanese sites Biccamera, Neowing, and Rakuten Books have pre-order listings for Stalker: Legends of the Zone trilogy on PS4 despite no announcement regarding its release being made. Particularly interesting that it's listed for PS4 since Stalker 2 will be a day one Game Pass release that has only been announced for PC and Xbox so far.

The trilogy will comprise all three games in the series so far - Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky, and Call of Pripyat - released annually between 2007 and 2009. A different time in game development, the wait for a new Stalker game after getting one a year for three years in a row has now been a decade and a half. Suffice to say, the additional time it takes to develop a triple-A game likely means we won't be getting another Stalker game next year and then the completion of a follow-up trilogy in 2026.

The listing prices the trilogy at 6,578 yen ($44) but there's no guarantee that will translate to the US. There's also no confirmation that this collection will be released at all, of course, until it is officially announced. Considering the time at which the pre-orders have gone live, it seems likely an official announcement will be made during the Xbox Partner Showcase later today. Especially with Stalker 2 coming to Game Pass. There's even a chance the original three games come to Game Pass too.

Even if it is announced today, the listings don't have the Legends of the Zone trilogy