GSC Game World, owned by Maksym Krippa, has outlined its future plans for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The Ukrainian studio is already working on the game’s second story expansion and is also developing a free multiplayer mode.
GSC Game World CEO Yevgen Grygorovich and Creative Director Maria Grygorovich revealed this during an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun at Gamescom. The new details were announced following the release of the first DLC, Cost of Hope.
What Gamers Can Expect
Following the release of Update 2.0 and the “Cost of Hope” expansion, the GSC Game World team has already mapped out the next major steps for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. The studio is working on a second DLC and a free multiplayer mode. The developers emphasize that they do not want to simply port mechanics into the game that other studios have already used.
GSC CEO Yevgen Grygorovich named DLC 2 and multiplayer as the two main areas of focus for future work. He mentioned this in response to a reporter’s question about the future of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. At the same time, Yevgen and Creative Director Maria Grygorovich noted that both projects are still in development.
According to Yevhen, the second expansion will offer “a different kind of narrative and experience” compared to Cost of Hope. The developer also hopes to surprise players and elicit a reaction they won’t expect.
GSC promises that the multiplayer mode will be just as unconventional. Yevgen noted that the studio isn’t trying to copy other games’ mechanics but wants to create something for an audience that has already spent thousands of hours playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.
Maria added that a significant portion of the team primarily works and plays in single-player mode, so while developing the multiplayer mode, the developers are experimenting with the possibilities it can offer. According to her, players’ expectations regarding this mode may vary greatly.
At the same time, Yevgen clarified that the multiplayer mode, which GSC plans to announce very soon, will not be session-based like in Counter-Strike.