S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl developers GSC Game World, based in Ukraine, tweeted on Sunday that an “employee’s account for collective work-with-images application was hacked” and Russian hackers claimed to be responsible for this. The developers state that this is not the first time they have faced this. “They are threatening to use the obtained data for blackmail and intimidation. This is not the first attempt to hack and leak our data. Including personal information. We have been enduring constant cyber attacks for more than a year now. We have faced blackmail, acts of aggression, hacks, attempts to hurt players and fans, and efforts to damage the development process or the reputation of our company.” 

A message from GSC Game World team pic.twitter.com/rqRM0tFZmO

— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) March 12, 2023

An anonymous user from a Russian website called VKontakte (VK) made a post taking responsibility for the hacking and threatening to expose information on the game unless the demands are met by March 15th. The hackers claim to have “tens of gigabytes” worth of the storyline, cut-scene descriptions, various concept art, global maps, and more. The demands from the hackers are for the company to change its attitudes towards Russian and Belarusian players, unban a discord account, and return to Russian localization. 

“In the event of any leaks, we ask that you refrain from watching or distributing information about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, outdated and work-in-progress materials may dilute the impression of the final idea that we have put into the game,” said the development team. “We encourage you to stay patient and wait for the official release for the best experience possible.” 

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an open-world post-apocalyptic survival game. The game is described as a “non-linear story” and a “blend of FPS, horror, and immersive simulation.” The game is set to release sometime in December on Steam, Epic Games, Windows Store, and Xbox Series X|S.