Stalker 2 hacked by Russia, developers say
STALKER 2’s developers report that their game world has been hacked and approximately 30 gigs with data about the upcoming game have been seized by the hackers for blackmail.
The war in Ukraine is taking its toll on the gaming world; the recently released Atomic heart has been the subject of much controversy even before it saw the light of day. The latest news revolves around the development team working on the previously delayed STALKER 2 game title – GSC Game World has been hacked by a pro-Russian hacker collective.
According to IGN, GSC Game World released a statement about the hack on social media, shedding light on the situation, explaining that STALKER 2 studio has been the target of a series of cyberattacks ever since Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine began in February 2022. Apparently, the company’s account for the collective imaging application was hacked, resulting in hackers obtaining a ton of data that was used for blackmail and threats. According to their account, a group of pro-Russian hackers claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hackers claim to have gained access to approximately 30GB of valuable information, including concept art, environment art and maps, as well as in-game clips and screenshots that reveal the upcoming game’s narrative. The hackers threaten to release said STALKER 2 content unless their requirements are not met by March 15th. These include softening the company’s stance towards Russian and Belarusian fans, an official Russian-language localization of the game, and unbanning a specific account on the game’s official Discord channel.
The STALKER 2 The developer has openly stated that none of these demands will be met, even at the price of having the content leaked. However, the company asked STALKER 2 fans to refrain from viewing and sharing information about STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl in case of data leakage. According to GSC Game World, some of the stolen material is outdated or still considered a work in progress – as such; it can dilute the idea of the final product that the development team is trying to implement.
In other words, just like all data leaks and unofficially released information, possibly STALKER 2 leaks are not representative of the final product. If readers happen to stumble upon unofficially released data – and the chances of that happening increase as the deadline approaches – it should either follow GSC Game World’s advice or take the information with a healthy dose of salt. This is not the first time the company has been attacked and threatened with unauthorized data release; previous attempts even included personal information about company employees.
STALKER 2the developer has been under an intermittent cyber siege for more than a year now, ever since the conflict broke out. The company and its team faced extortion, various acts of aggression, hacking and other efforts to hinder the development process and damage the company’s reputation. And it’s not the only Ukrainian developer that has been affected by the conflict – in fact, many Ukrainian game developers have been affected, and are asking the gaming community for support for their country.
While the development of many game titles suffered due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, STALKER 2 and Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened are just some of the most prominent and recent examples. STALKER 2 still has no release date, but many are suggesting that the game is slated for a 2023 release date.
