S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s Open World is Crucial to its Story, Developer Says

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 is looking like an ambitious game in more ways than one, and one of those that stands out is, of course, the game’s open word. According to its developers, the first person horror shooter is going to have hundreds of hours of content, which should give you an idea of how large the world is going to be, while GSC Game World have also said that the world itself is going to be completely seamless, which is more than a little interesting as well.

According to the developers, however, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s open world is a crucial part of the experience, from telling its story to establishing a sense of scale to even showcasing the “renewed beauty” of the Exclusion Zone. GSC Game World PR manager Zakhar Bocharov said while speaking with us in a recent interview: “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is mostly about the new story, and we can’t tell it without the open world. The player needs to feel the scale and the outcomes of his decisions. It is a long way so it can land an impact. A big journey with its own pace and outcomes.

“Also, it’s about seeing the Zone in her renewed beauty. The seamless open world is a thing the series always aimed for. Hopefully, the players will enjoy both the story and the world we’re crafting. They are highly special for us.”

In the same interview, Bacharov also told us that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will have multiple branching paths and endings, to the extent that players will need to do “several” playthrough of the game in order to see everything its story has to offer. Our full interview with Bacharov is also going live soon, so stay tuned for that.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is in development for Xbox Series X/S and PC. GSC Game World currently has no plans for a PS5 launch, but recent developments have suggested that the game’s Xbox console exclusivity will last three months, so it might come to Sony’s new console- but it definitely won’t launch for PS4 or Xbox One, it seems.