After many years of development and multiple delays, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is here, and right from launch, it was apparent that it was a huge hit. However, while developer GSC Game World has been rolling out updates to smooth out bugs, there's no denying that the first-person shooter launched with quite a lot of them, but Baldur's Gate 3's publishing director is of the opinion that it had to take the plunge eventually.
Speaking to Eurogamer in a recent interview, GSC Game World studio CEO Ievgen Grygorovych intimated that hitting Stalker 2 with yet another delay to iron out any remaining issues before launch just wasn't an option, noting that the team couldn't just "say yes, let's make one more marathon, because you're already broken." He continued: "You're so tired that you would just die if you say let's run an additional marathon. We didn't have a chance to say let's do it more. We just had a chance of 'let's do until this moment - the release date – as much as we can.'"
And so, the game launched in a very fun, but less-than-perfect state. However, Larian Studios' publishing director Michael Douse is seemingly supportive of this move. "At some point the bread gotta come out the oven it's just how it goes," he says on Twitter.
It's an amusing analogy, but one that makes sense. After all, devs everywhere could probably continue to fine-tune their games for months, years, and maybe even forever if they had the time, money, and inclination. When do you decide that enough is enough and that it's time to draw a line under it?
In the Eurogamer interview, Grygorovych says that even with more time, there wasn't ever a point where everything was absolutely flawless, and the team also had to consider the fact that they were fast approaching the end-of-year sales period. Therefore, the devs did the best they could with the time they had – and that doesn't mean that they've not been working hard to squash remaining problems since then.
Be sure to check out our guide to the best Stalker 2 mods to tweak everything from performance, to weapons, and more.
