Developers of STALKER 2 release a statement in response to cyberattacks and blackmail
The creators of STALKER 2, GSC Game World, have released a statement in response to a recent cyberattack that resulted in the loss of employee data and game assets. A 30GB release of STALKER 2 data was recently threatened by the hackers who carried out the attack. Following a cyberattack that caused data for the upcoming game STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl to leak, the development team started on March 12. In the statement, a group of Russian hackers’ attack was denounced, and GSC Game World vowed to continue with STALKER 2’s development despite the current situation.
Information about STALKER 2 obtained from a GSC Game World developer account was recently leaked by a group of Russian hackers. Images and artwork thought to be from a work-in-progress build of the game were allegedly included in the gigabytes of data, and some of the images were posted to the Russian social media site VK. The hackers gave GSC Game World until March 15 to comply with their demands, by which time they demanded that GSC Game World change their treatment of players from Russia and Belarus. Given that GSC Game World is a Ukrainian studio with participants in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the creators are accustomed to fending off assaults from that country.
Pro-Russian hackers “blackmailed and intimidated” the Stalker 2 developer.
GSC Game World stated on Twitter, denouncing the hack and confirming what had happened. The tweet claims that the developer’s account credentials for an image application were compromised, giving the hackers access to pictures and data from different stages of STALKER 2. GSC Game World requested that users not divulge any information that emerged as a result of the hack in light of the current circumstances. Additionally, the creators warned that the final product might look different from any photographs.
STALKER 2 is still being developed, despite the ongoing unrest in Ukraine, and GSC Game World reiterated its commitment to finishing and releasing the game. It should be clear that GSC Game World refused to give in to the hackers’ demands. The team’s motivation to complete development was primarily driven by their participation in the conflict and the ongoing support of STALKER fans. STALKER 2 has no set release date as of the time of writing, despite still being one of the most eagerly awaited games on the Epic Games Store.
Following the tweet, GSC Game World and Ukraine received an outpouring of support from people worldwide. Some users vowed to block and report anyone who shared information obtained from the leak in their replies. STALKER 2 continues to be one of the most eagerly awaited games to be released, thanks to fans’ support worldwide. Time will tell when that happens.