Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl's lengthy development might come to an end soon, with its distributor suddenly listing a release date of December 1, 2023. While this hasn't been officially confirmed, this date doesn't seem to be a placeholder being used on the website, so developer GSC Game World could be poised to make an announcement soon.
This is fairly unexpected news, given the numerous setbacks faced by GSC Game World throughout Stalker 2's development. Almost all of these hurdles stem from the fact that GSC is a Ukrainian studio, and therefore, heavily impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These setbacks have ranged from facing the threats of bombings alongside the rest of the country to being targeted by a Russian hacker, who went on to leak an internal build of the game.
This latest development was spotted by journalist Andrew Marmo, sharing a page from Palion's website, the company that's distributing Stalker 2 on GSC's behalf (as reported by Wccftech). Here, the release date is listed as December 1 of this year, despite the fact that the studio is yet to make an official announcement.
Right now, the last we heard on a release date is that it's aiming for a 2023 launch, having been delayed from its original December 2022 date. However, that 2023 window was never narrowed down, and the last time we heard about it was summer 2022, leading many to believe that Stalker 2 would be quietly pushed back into 2024.
As noted by Marmo, other games on the site use December 31 as a placeholder, not December 1. In addition, Marmo has since shared that Amazon is also listing a release date of December 1, further suggesting that GSC has an announcement for us soon.
Getting the game out before the new year would be an impressive feat, given how much GSC has had to contend with. Not only is the team working in a new studio in Prague, having left Ukraine during the war, but it also says it's been the victim of "constant cyberattacks" due to its outspoken support of its home country throughout the war.
If this release date news is true, it would also mean GSC is sticking to its pledge to launch this year. This came after it labelled rumours of a delay into 2024 as "absurd". That being said, fans would hardly blame the team for taking its time, with all things considered.
Stalker 2 will launch on PC and Xbox Series X/S.