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GSC is closed, STALKER 2 cancelled [Up5: GSC: Wait for Up6 in mid-January]

oh well this is sad. I loved STALKER. Time to reinstall it I guess.

Metro 2033 was a great game too but didn't have half the scope.
 
I once had a dream that these guys were making a Simpsons game with EA. Basically an open world RPG, like S.T.A.L.K.E.R., except, you know, Simpsons stuff.

Man that would have been good, huh :lol
 

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
Well, we have the GOG closing stunt from last year too... This would be nice (this being a PR stunt) in a fucked up kind of way.

That is not a PR stunt. Programmers and designers sent out their resumes already.
 
According to the 2 new sources from the official website, Gregorovich made 300 million dollars and they have new offices that they didnt tell their team about. They are on the 8th page.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Pretty fucking sad that somebody convinced the team that producing a clothing line was fiscally responsible behavior out of a new game studio with little cache outside of the PC gamer market. Allow the talent to get the actual games out the door before dreaming of monetizing beanies and sweatpants, marketing pricks.
 

Oreoleo

Member
got direct link to that translated blog? his site is loading slow as shit for me.

As this blog post was picked up by some English-speaking outlets, I thought I should add an English translation, because Google Translate does a really poor job here.

So, I wasn’t going to write about this before I could talk to Grigorovich, but he isn’t picking up phone and there is a lot of rumors around, so I’ve decided to clarify some things. I don’t work at GSC, but I know a lot of people there and here is what I got after talking to them. This is purely unofficial of course.

GSC is no more. Almost everyone is let go, only few people left and still employed. STALKER 2 project is closed.

My friends in GSC believe that the reason for that is failed console publishing deal. GSC couldn’t sign any publisher for STALKER 2 on consoles, and GSC wasn’t strong enough to do it all by itself. STALKER 2 was going to become PC exlcusive, which isn’t a great future for story-driven game.

Some say that Grigorovich demanded a lot from publishers and his terms were unacceptable, some say that publishers didn’t like setting – Eastern European postapocalypse is not that popular outside Europe. I don’t know which is true, but guess it is a bit of both.

Also, some people at GSC say that Grigorovich wasn’t happy with quality of STALKER 2, but others say it was going to be a great game and huge improvement over first one. One guy said that Grigorovich was tired of game development and no longer interested in STALKER at all, but I don’t believe it, knowing Sergey for last ten years. He might be tired, yes, but he loved STALKER.

I’ve read on Ukranews about «goverment agencies trying to take over GSC». None of my friends confirms it. It is just not possible: only thing that valuable in GSC is it’s IP and it is registered outside Ukraine. Also, I’ve heard numerous people saying that Grigorovich talked to them about closing GSC for a year now.

I don’t know what will happen to STALKER next. Grigorovich might sell or lease it to other companies: there was at some point browser-based STALKER game in production. But there is only one studio in Ukraine that can handle this – 4A Games, creators of original STALKER. And they’re not exactly friends with Grigorovich. As for other Eastern European developers (from Poland or Bulgaria) – I don’t believe they can do STALKER 2 justice. Some are just too good to work for IP that is not their own and some don’t have enough experience.
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I'm not going to lie. I'm happy that they're closed down, I loved the games but they butchered the novela they based them on. Now hopefully a developer can pick up the "stalker" series and do it some justice.
 
This is really sad. Man, did I love those games. Hopefully these guys will all find work. They deserve to be successful, they've made some really interesting and fun games over the years.
 

Orayn

Member
I'm not going to lie. I'm happy that they're closed down, I loved the games but they butchered the novela they based them on. Now hopefully a developer can pick up the "stalker" series and do it some justice.

STALKER was inspired by Stalker, which was a loose film adaptation of Roadside Picnic. The game never purported to be based directly on the novella.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Some sort of studio taking the IP and developing the game towards its strengths would be awesome. A great counter-balance to Bethesda's take on a post-apocalyptic world which never achieved the same feel of grit and danger as STALKER.
 

chixdiggit

Member
Damn it. Why didn't they ask for help? Fuck the humble indie bundle, I would have gladly floated a ten spot to these guys if it helped them keep a float.
 

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
Damn it. Why didn't they ask for help? Fuck the humble indie bundle, I would have gladly floated a ten spot to these guys if it helped them keep a float.

I don't think that the owner had problems with money. Well may be he had but if he really wanted to make this game he would make the game in whatever form it could take in the end.

I also think that not licensing Cryengine 3 was a sort of stupid decision. There were rumours that GSC was going to be one of the first licensees but they decided against it and spent more than a year creating a new engine while they could be creating the game.
 
I'm not going to lie. I'm happy that they're closed down, I loved the games but they butchered the novela they based them on. Now hopefully a developer can pick up the "stalker" series and do it some justice.

Yeah, that's the spirit. Except, as stated, it was inspired by Tarkovsky's film far more than the Strugatsky short.

We don't need face palms as well as tears. Come on, man. There's always Icepick Lodge games if you want something along the lines of what you're chasing.
 
This is like, the worst gaming news since Troika Games kicked the bucket.

This!! This is exactly how I feel. First Troika close, but only after they teased about working on a Werewolf expansion (which at the time, was one thing I REALLY wanted as I loved Werewolf)and now GSC close during the development of STALKER 2, which was my most wanted PC game *cry*
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
This is like, the worst gaming news since Troika Games kicked the bucket.

Its like every developer I love turns to shit. I'm just going to start hating everything and save the industry.
 

Acidote

Member
Its like every developer I love turns to shit. I'm just going to start hating everything and save the industry.

You can comfort in knowing that lots of companies I hate after deciding to implement draconian DRM on their games are closing. Like this one. Maybe Ubisoft will be next.
 

FGMPR

Banned
You can comfort in knowing that lots of companies I hate after deciding to implement draconian DRM on their games are closing. Like this one. Maybe Ubisoft will be next.

They made STALKER SOC, the greatest FPS ever made. There is no comfort in this news, even if STALKER 2 was heading into consoleville.
 
mtuhafuck this news. Like seriously....fuck. I liked Metro but that aint got shit on STALKER.

I hope these guys emigrate to Poland and CD Projekt starts a separate studio with them or something (lol unlikely)
 
yeah but the only thing that Metro gives me that can just 'almost' compare to STALKER is the atmosphere.

I'm not big on Open World games, kinda bored of them now actually. But STALKER series just got it so right.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Most people who made SOC are working at 4A now.

Yeah, but STALKER was a hundred times the game that Metro was. Hell, it was an actual game.

I want STALKER, not "follow an NPC as they talk to you" simulators.
 

JoeMartin

Member
Dunno if posted already so sorry if old, but:

Blog with a bunch of STALKER 2 concept art.

1323432724001.jpg

1323432724003.jpg


((((((((((((((((((((((((

EDIT: And perhaps the most ridiculous thing to come out of stalker ever.
 

FGMPR

Banned
yeah but the only thing that Metro gives me that can just 'almost' compare to STALKER is the atmosphere.

I'm not big on Open World games, kinda bored of them now actually. But STALKER series just got it so right.

I dunno. SOC was hardly open world, more like a linear progression of large-ish levels ala Crysis, except you could move back and forth in. The greatness of SoC, imo came from the progression of the atmosphere of the maps. The closer you traveled to the CPP the more depressing the area's became. It kind of reminded me of 'Apocalypse Now' in that it was a real progression into a nightmarish hell for the player.

The other STALKER's kind of lost that element about them. 'Call of Pripyat' was much more open than SOC, but it still wasn't the best of the three because of this. Metro was a fantastic experience, but the dark tunnels of a futuristic-dystopian Moscow subway system wasn't anywhere near as creepy as the last 1/3rd of SOC.
 

FGMPR

Banned
So this will now become like the new Shenmue 3...

Stalker 2, what could have been...

We shall remember you Stalker.

At least each STALKER game had a conclusion. Shenmue 2 (another one of my all-time favorites (shit, maybe I have 'eat children's curse)) left Ryo in a fucking cave with few answers.
 
Z

ZombieFred

Unconfirmed Member
At least the SDK is released for COP so that should still keep some life in the STALKER community, but I would of loved a STALKER 2 more :(
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
The atmosphere in STALKER is unmatched by any other game.

STALKER, like Half-Life 2, to me looks timeless. Absolutely perfect use of assets and engine capabilities. Run down ruined buildings and props that feel like they're actually meant to be part of the environment and world, and not just pre-made assets dumped in by the level designer.
 
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