Xbox Game Pass Confirms Huge Console Exclusive for September 5

gamerant.com:

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is coming to Xbox Game Pass on Thursday, September 5, 2024 as a day one game. STALKER fans have well over a decade to get their hands on STALKER 2. Unfortunately, the ambitious first-person shooter has been delayed multiple times, with this latest delay seeing it pushed out of its previously-announced Q1 2024 release window.

STALKER 2 has looked incredibly impressive from the jump, with the game clearly taking full advantage of the Xbox Series X's added horsepower. STALKER 2 has long been one of the Xbox Series X's most promising console exclusive games, but its release date has been continuously pushed back for various reasons, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The game has been delayed yet again, but it now at least has a specific release date for fans to mark on their calendars.

As announced by GSC Game World, STALKER 2 has been delayed to September 5, 2024, at which point it will release as a day one Xbox Game Pass game. GSC Game World explained that the delay was to allow the team to further polish the game and fix some technical issues that are plaguing it. GSC Game World doesn't want to release STALKER 2 with «certain technical imperfections» that will make it below the studio's standards.

While there may be some fans who are disappointed that STALKER 2 will miss its Q1 2024 release window, many others will likely understand that the game needs more time in the oven to meet their high expectations. Many would rather a game be delayed and release in a polished state than launch with a bunch of problems, so hopefully this release date change allows STALKER 2 to live up to its full potential.

STALKER 2 is still coming in 2024, which means that this year is looking particularly stacked for Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription service. Many other games have already been announced for the Xbox Game Pass 2024 lineup, with a new batch of Game Pass titles recently revealed for the second half of January 2024.

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