The Stalker 2: Coronary heart of Chornobyl builders at GSC Recreation World have been via rather a lot, to place it mildly. Following the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, roughly 200 builders opted to relocate to Prague within the Czech Republic, persevering with to collaborate with their colleagues in Kyiv. This, in concept, ought to have led to a extra peaceable improvement course of for this group, however a big fireplace within the Prague workplace threw one other surprising wrench in its plans.
The hearth, which broke out in late 2023 within the Prague workplace’s server room, partially worn out one of many flooring. Nobody was harm, however post-accident photographs of the harm present scorch marks and ash protecting the bottom. GSC Recreation World CEO Ievgen Grygorovych appears to view the scenario as a form of blessing in disguise, as he defined to us within the newest GameSpot Insider documentary.
“It truly made us stronger as a result of we received to expertise what can occur, the way it could look–what we’ve got to do to not let it occur once more,” he stated.
There was definitely a fabric value to the accident, although. In addition to the server on the ground being destroyed, builders’ work computer systems have been additionally destroyed.
“It was yet one more problem to rebuild this recreation once more,” lead neighborhood supervisor Yevhen Bazarov stated. “Yet one more factor we weren’t anticipating.”
Whereas he is in a position to snigger about it now, lead cinematic artist Ingwar Dovgoteles was engaged on a cinematic-department documentation job that took roughly three days. He had completed it late the evening of the hearth. About quarter-hour after he received residence, he received a name from the workplace that every little thing he had labored on was gone.
“All my work was there,” Dovgoteles added. “[Done] in three days with all this documentation. It was simply wasted.”
Thankfully for GSC Recreation World, regardless of one more setback, Stalker 2 did ultimately launch in late 2024, and it was one in every of our picks for the perfect video games of 2024. For extra on how the studio continued to make the sport as its residence was invaded by Russian forces, you possibly can watch the entire GameSpot Insider episode above.