Following recent claims that developer GSC Game World got paid more by Xbox than the budget for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, studio founder Sergiy Grygorovych said in an interview that Xbox’s money helped to pay for the title “before the first day”. In a statement to Insider Gaming, the studio has offered more clarity on the matter.
While GSC Game World initially didn’t want to comment on what Gyrgorovych had said, it noted that “continued silence may be perceived as confirmation of information that is simply not true.” The studio went on to clarify that the studio founder was not involved in either the negotiations for or the development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.
“In accordance with the agreements reached between the parties, Sergiy was not involved either in negotiations with partners regarding S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 or in the actual development of the game throughout its full production cycle. We have always fully honored these agreements on our side. For this reason, his comments regarding the company’s activities cannot be considered an accurate reflection of the actual state of affairs.”
Referring to its geopolitical situation, the studio continued: “The development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 became one of the most challenging projects in the history of the video game industry. We believe the story of this game should be based on facts, not on assumptions or subjective opinions.”
“We hope that such public statements will not distract attention from what truly matters to the team today. GSC Game World is currently putting the finishing touches on a significant update for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, as well as its first large-scale story DLC. We will be sharing more details very soon.”
GSC Game World is currently in the midst of developing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s first expansion – Cost of Hope. Just last month, the studio released a new trailer for the DLC showcasing some of the new companions that will be joining the player on the adventure: Zulu and Makva. Some of its newer regions were also showcased, including what appears to be the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, a power station, a park with dried-up trees, and even a strange room where gravity has gone haywire.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an open-world shooter that takes place in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Players take on the role of the eponymous stalker and can explore a world that has been noted by the studio as being 64 square kilometres in area. The massive zone is filled with a variety of characters, friends and foes. There are also entire factions, each of which has its own motivations and plans for the region. Along with human enemies, players will also have to face mutants.
It was released back in November 2024 for PC and Xbox Series X/S before making its way to PS5 in November 2025. For more details, take a look at our review of the PS5 version, which we praised for its support of the console’s hardware features and its generally excellent emergent gameplay, while finding flaws with its outdated mission design and the lack of polish with NPC animations.
