Stalker 2 is in development (again)

Yesterday we reported on a "gorgeous and terrifying" visual overhaul mod for Stalker: Call of Pripyat that brings a suite of updated visual effects to the cult-classic shooter. Today something a little more interesting happened: GSC Game World, the creator of the original Stalker trilogy, quietly announced that Stalker 2 is now in development.

Stalker 2 was originally revealed back in 2010, but it didn't get very far before everything—the game and the studio—fell apart. GSC Game World came back to life in 2014, but instead of a new Stalker, it made Cossacks 3. Stalker remained off the radar until today, when stalker2.com suddenly sprang to life.

Websites are easy to fake, but the GSC Game World Facebook page contains a link to the site, as does the GSC website, which also states explicitly that "currently [the] company is developing Stalker 2."

That's the good news, and it is very good news indeed. The bad news is that it's not going to happen anytime soon: The Stalker 2 site currently indicates that it'll be out in 2021.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.