Russia just added Stalker dev GSC to its no-no list of 'undesirable organisations', sobs that Stalker 2 promoted 'Ukrainian narratives' and 'aggressive Russophobic content'

Vladimir Putin being shown something on a computer monitor — (Image credit: Alexey Nikolsky via Getty)

Stalker developer GSC Game World has been added to the Russian government's list of "undesirable organisations," per a press release from the country's Prosecutor General's Office. In other words, it's been deemed a threat to the "foundations of Russia's constitutional order, defensive capacity and security," and anyone in Russia maintaining ties to the studio could face punishment.

GSC might be the most famous of the myriad Ukrainian studios affected by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The war forced the studio to relocate from its former home of Kyiv to offices in Prague; one of its developers, Volodymyr Yezhov, was killed in action in December 2022; and the studio has come under repeated propaganda attacks from anti-Ukrainian forces and disgruntled Russian ex-fans.

GSC has, itself, raised money for the Ukrainian military—$800,000 via a charity sale of its games, and it encouraged fans to donate to the country's army in the immediate aftermath of Russia's invasion. You might think, then, that the Russian government—never shy about adding people and organisations it dislikes to lists of "extremist" entities—had long ago thrown the book at GSC. But despite some past sabre-rattling, its branding as an "undesirable" org only got handed down today.

A smiling man in military fatigues — (Image credit: GSC Game World)

Perhaps most absurd, though, is the Office's assessment of Stalker 2 itself. "In 2024, [GSC] released a computer game promoting Ukrainian narratives [and] containing aggressive Russophobic content." Having played—and, indeed, reviewed—Stalker 2, I struggle to recall much that leapt out to me as 'aggressively' Russophobic. Perhaps the Prosecutor General is upset GSC took out the Russian voice track.

One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.