Summary
- Stalker 2 made a profit and sold over a million copies on launch day, exceeding expectations.
- GSC Game World’s hard work paid off despite bugs.
- The success of Stalker 2 has inspired the team to aim for a Netflix series and to exceed all forecasts.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is one of 2024’s gaming success stories. It may not have had the player count that Black Myth: Wukong had, or it may not have reached 20 million players like Infinity Nikki, but developed against the backdrop of an ongoing war, Stalker 2 is nothing but a small miracle.
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While two million concurrent players was never a reality, Stalker 2 hit over 120,000 on Steam, a good omen for things to come. It appears that those numbers have translated into success, with GSC Game World owner Maksym Krippa sharing that the game has already turned a profit, and that’s only the beginning.
GSC Game World Owner Discusses Stalker 2’s Success
In a rare interview with Forbes Ukraine, Krippa details the struggles faced during the development of Stalker 2. “Before the release, the team worked almost 24/7,” he said. “They lived for this project, especially against the backdrop of the war. We wanted to give the country hope and pride, to show everyone that Ukrainians can make projects of such a high level. We understood the game may contain minor, non-critical bugs, but it had to be released on November 20th without delay; otherwise, our team would have completely burned out.”
Thankfully, Krippa says that the efforts of the 470-person-strong team were worth it, sharing GSC Game World has “already sold enough to make the project profitable.”
With DLC and releases on other platforms to come, we think we can meet, and perhaps even exceed, even the wildest forecasts,
With the game selling over one million copies on its first day, Krippa was asked if he thought it could break $1 billion, and suggestions were that it was well on its way. “With DLC and releases on other platforms to come, we think we can meet, and perhaps even exceed, even the wildest forecasts,” he said.
Stalker 2 still has an abundance of content to come, including two DLCs and a multiplayer mode, and Krippa feels the sky is the limit. “The number of copies that we will be able to sell at the end of this journey is really unknown. I would not like to name any numbers, so as not to give a bad omen.”
CD Projekt Red Proved An Inspiration In More Ways Than One
Krippa cites CD Projekt Red as a touchstone for what GSC Game World can become. “The Witcher is a national pride of Poles – there is a book, a game, a series on Netflix. Stalker 2 has the same perspective, only Ukrainian. I would like us to get a series on Netflix. Certain negotiations are currently underway, but the issue has not been resolved yet.”
Certain negotiations are currently underway, but the issue has not been resolved yet.
Despite launching in a terribly buggy state, it’s heartwarming to see GSC Game World’s efforts rewarded. Long may it continue.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the long-awaited follow-up to the apocalyptic first-person shooter. As a Stalker, you must venture into the deadly Exclusion Zone, contending with mutants and warring factions alike, in search of valuable artifacts.