The gaming news cycle continues to be shaken by the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. This time, we see a new development in the form of a threat issued by Russian players against GSC Game World, the developers of STALKER 2. The threat essentially talks about how this group has various assets of the game’s development, with the ultimatum being that the assets will be released should GSC not comply with their demands.
As seen in VK (translated by ReflectioH on Reddit), the issuer (a group of hackers from Russia known as Vestnik TSS) talks about how part of the game’s concept art, cutscenes, and other assets from STALKER 2 were posted to show the authenticity of the threat. According to the hackers, they have over 30 GB of data on the game. The post then states that the group of leakers will post this information on March 15 should GSC Game World not comply with the following demands:
- Unbanning NF Star profile on their official Discord (one of Vestnik TSS’s members)
- “changing their attitude” toward players from Belarus and Russia while apologizing for the “unworthy attitude” toward ordinary players from both countries
- Bring back the Russian localization of STALKER 2.
In summation, the hacking group is essentially demanding the return of STALKER 2’s Russian localization. If you’re wondering what that’s about, the reason behind this threat would be GSC’s recent cancellation of the Russian distribution and dub of the game. The reason behind this decision can be attributed to the current situation between Russia and Ukraine, which has impacted the gaming industry before with releases such as Atomic Heart.
Ever since the threat was issued, GSC has also responded to the threat issued by Vestink TSS with a statement of their own on Twitter. The statement acknowledges that the collective did indeed hack GSC and that this isn’t the first attempt to hack and leak their data. However, the developers at GSC Game World will not cave to the demands issued by Vestnik TSS and will instead “remain strong and courageous”.
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.
The statement concludes with the note that should the leak actually happen on March 15, the gaming community should refrain from watching or distributing information from STALKER 2. The folks at GSC Game World also stated that outdated and work-in-progress materials can ultimately dilute the impression of the final idea that has been put into the game and instead stay patient and wait for the official release.
