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Stalker 2 isn't published by Microsoft, but the company has still been 'so supportive' to its devs: 'It would have been much different without them'

Despite challenges due to the war in Ukraine, Microsoft has shown strong support for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, a first-person shooter set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, by delaying its release and providing assistance to GSC Game World, the Ukrainian developer. The game is set to release on November 20th and will be available on Game Pass.

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After multiple delays, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is set to bring us back to the Exclusion Zone in November, and according to GSC Game World's PR manager, Microsoft has been very supportive of the team throughout the first-person shooter's development. 

The team at Ukrainian developer GSC Game World has faced incredibly challenging working conditions while producing Stalker 2, with the war in Ukraine forcing the devs to pause production in 2022 and relocate to Prague. It's understandable that the game's release ended up being pushed back, and according to PR manager Zakhar Bocharov, Microsoft itself has been considerate in this regard. The Xbox owner isn't publishing Stalker 2 – GSC Game World is doing that itself – but the two do have a deal to put the upcoming FPS title on Game Pass on its release day.

In an interview with TheGamer at Gamescom 2024, Bocharov says that the company hasn't just been supportive by not enforcing "demands" for Stalker 2's release date, but has even "helped in situations" where it wasn't strictly meant to. He reveals: "Microsoft doesn't put any demands in terms of the release date or the content." 

Expanding on this, Bocharov adds that he personally "never expected a corporation of this size to be so supportive." He adds: "I can't say the exact cases, but they helped in situations where they were not exactly supposed to. So they could easily [have said], 'No, that's not on us. That's with you guys. Good luck. Figure it out.'"

The PR manager continues, noting that Xbox head Phil Spencer has personally been "very supportive and caring" to the devs, and reiterating the unexpectedness of the corporation being so "close to the developers who are in a bad situation." He concludes: "That's the professional connection we value a lot, because it would have been much different without them."

While we'll never know what Stalker 2 may have ended up looking like without Microsoft's support, hopefully the final version will live up to fans' expectations on November 20. I had the chance to play the first 30 minutes of the game at Gamescom, and even though I got my ass kicked more times than I'd care to admit, the visuals and performance were great, leaving me feeling optimistic for its launch. 

We'll just have to wait and see if Stalker 2 ends up being one of the best FPS games.