Stalker 2 dev is happy with its Steam reviews, but wants to work hard to bring that number higher: '89% is also good—no! 89% starts from 8, and you want to start from 9'

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I can confidently say that Stalker 2 has left me utterly spellbound. The game’s development journey mirrors a rollercoaster ride, filled with twists, turns, and unexpected delays. Yet, GSC Game World’s unwavering dedication to their craft is nothing short of inspiring.

Reflecting on it comprehensively, Stalker 2 truly stands as an impressive feat. Despite the developers having no more room for delay, Joshua Wolens, our Stalker 2 enthusiast, viewed its glitches as a nostalgic reminiscence of the original rather than an overwhelming hurdle in his review of the game.

At a recent BAFTA gathering, IGN had a conversation with GSC Game World CEO Ievgen Grygorovych. He expressed satisfaction over the game’s reception, stating, “While it’s not the masterpiece we envisioned, it has heart and spirit.

At this moment, Stalker 2 holds an 84% positive rating on Steam, which is surprisingly high considering its numerous technical problems. Typically, gamers are not very forgiving about glitches and would rather see a flawed game abandoned than praised. However, the old-school charm of ‘eurojank’ seems to have been well-received. It appears that tradition still holds sway.

Later, Grygorovych admits that he “anticipated a lesser level of success than we ultimately received from the audience”, but his ambition remains undiminished. For a creative individual, achieving an accomplishment like creating a game that 90% of people adored is not about settling for 85%, or even 83% or 86%. It’s all about striving for 90%. ‘But 89% is still good’—no! 89% begins with an eight, and the goal is to start at nine. After investing six years into it, he still yearns for more.

We recognize that the initial version of the game needed improvement, and unfortunately, there was only so much we could do beyond what we had already accomplished.

Similar to a magician drawing aside a veil to expose a Lovecraftian monster that we’ve only caught a glimpse of at the very beginning, Grygorovych astonishes us by disclosing that the majority of the issues in the game remain unseen: “As developers, we encounter more problems within the game than players typically experience. Most players haven’t encountered 99% of the bugs lurking within our game.

Due to the sheer magnitude of what we witnessed, our stress levels significantly escalated. We couldn’t predict the number of individuals who might encounter this issue, or even anticipate the challenges that lie ahead, which are unknown to us at present. This moment is incredibly tense and anxious.

It’s likely an overstatement that 99% is accurate, but I’m equally convinced that the team behind Stalker 2 was fully cognizant of the game’s problems. Just as I would breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that things turned out better than anticipated, they too express a desire for it to be even better. This level of dedication, persisting through what might be called ‘development purgatory’ without summoning the actual underworld, is nothing short of inspiring. I can only extend my best wishes to the developers as they strive to perfect the game to its intended brilliance.

2024-12-06 18:32

Stalker 2 dev is happy with its Steam reviews, but wants to work hard to bring that number higher: ‘89% is also good—no! 89% starts from 8, and you want to start from 9’

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