Put on your gas masks, kids - we're going back to Chernobyl.
Originally announced in 2010, cancelled in 2012, then announced again in 2018, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has been in a pretty persistent state of development hell since its inception. But in 2021, twelve years after Call of Pripyat, players will finally be able to trek back into the Zone and fight for their lives. That's right - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is back, and this time, it's an Xbox exclusive.
Well, sort of. The game will see a simultaneous release on PC and Xbox sometime next year, with no word on whether or not it'll be hitting the PlayStation 5. As of this writing, those are the only two platforms announced, so it's safe to hedge your bets on those being the only options at launch.
The atmospheric trailer debuted during the Xbox Showcase today, and gave us a fairly good idea of what to expect here. Burnt out structures, abandoned playgrounds, labyrinthine tunnels... all the aesthetic motifs of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise are present and accounted for.
But if early marketing buzz is anything to go off, the way players interact with that world will be a little different this go-round. According to a post over on Xbox Wire, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is an open-world game, and will allow players to fully explore the Zone on their own terms for the first time. The franchise has flirted with large maps before, but has ultimately always been a focused, linear experience - much like its spiritual cousin, the Metro series.
That's about all we have to go off for now - a trailer and the promise of an open world. Naturally, we'll see more of the game in the coming months, and I couldn't be more excited. I was a big fan of these games back in high school, and we're long overdue for another traipse through Chernobyl, so I'm excited to see how this game shapes up.
Y'know. Provided they don't cancel it again.