Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Developers Refuse to Give in to Blackmail from Russian Social Media

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl developer GSC Game World has responded to a blackmail attempt from hackers that surfaced yesterday.

A user of the Russian social network VK claiming to speak for “the administration of Vestnik TSS” posted a message yesterday morning claiming to have stolen “tens of gigabytes” of development materials of the game including “a full-fledged story, cut-scenes description, various concept art, global maps and much more.”

While we will not link the post out of respect for the developers, as it includes examples of those stolen assets, the VK user threatened GSC Game World of leaking them unless they accepted demands including rethinking their attitude toward Russian and Belarusian players and apologizing for it, the removal of a user from the official Discord server, and the implementation of a Russian localization for the game. 

The message included a deadline of March 15 and some frankly delirious accusations of “politicization” and threats.

CSC Game World has not waited until the deadline and issued a response on its official Twitter account explaining that the developer has withstood constant cyberattacks and more for over a year. 

Yet, as Ukrainians, they have suffered much worse from Russia’s criminal invasion, including destroyed houses, ruined lives, and the deaths of their loved ones. As such, attempts to blackmail or intimidate them are “completely futile.”

The developer pledged its “unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine” and encouraged fans to ignore possible leaks and to refrain from sharing them. You can read the message in its entirety below.

Recently, our employee’s account for a collective work-with-images application was hacked. The responsibility for this was claimed by a community from a russian social network. They are threatening to use the obtained data for blackmail and intimidation. This is not the first attempt to hack and leak our data, including personal information. We have been enduring constant cyberattacks for more than a year now. We have faced blackmail, acts of aggression, hacks, attempts to hurt players and fans, and efforts to damage the development process or the reputation of our company. 

We are a Ukrainian company, and like most Ukrainians, we have experienced many things that are much more terrifying: destroyed houses, ruined lives, and the deaths of our loved ones. Attempts to blackmail or intimidate us are completely futile. 

Our unwavering commitment to supporting our country remains unchanged – we will continue to do everything possible to support Ukraine. And this won’t change in the future under any circumstances. Despite the attempts to break us, we remain strong and courageous. Because when you believe in something and love it with all your heart, you have to defend it at all costs. 

We have been through a lot. However, these challenges only encourage us to work even harder because we believe that the truth is on our side. Evil will never win. 

In the event of any leaks, we ask that you refrain from watching or distributing information about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Outdated and work-in-progress materials may dilute the impression of the final idea that we have put into the game. We encourage you to stay patient and wait for the official release for the best experience possible. We believe that you will love it. 

We’d like to express our deepest appreciation for our loyal community. We are overwhelmed by the response and support we have received from you. Thank you for that. From each and every member of the GSC Game World team.

Our mission is to commit all of our strength and passion to complete the project and deliver it to you, despite all the obstacles on the way. Your support is our inspiration. 

Glory to Ukraine. 

Sincerely, the GSC Game World team 

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is coming in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X|S, including Game Pass day and date with its retail release. If you’d like to take a look at this highly-anticipated game, you can enjoy a recent trailer.