“I think it’s unfair to kind of geofence the genre”: Original Stalker designer talks Eurojank in not-so-Euro games

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Gamers often use genre labels as put-downs, which is a frustrating habit. For example, the term ‘JRPG’ was initially used dismissively, and ‘walking sim’ was meant as an insult despite accurately describing many games. ‘Eurojank‘ is another example – it’s a playful term for ambitious games from European developers that aren’t always polished. Even Andrii Verpakhovskyi, a designer on the original Stalker games, believes that these kinds of imperfections shouldn’t define a game’s category.

In a recent interview with Edge magazine (via PC Gamer), Obsidian Entertainment’s Verpakhovskyi reminisced about classic games like Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines and Arcanum, both developed by Troika Games – the team behind the original Fallout games. He noted that while those older titles were often glitchy and imperfect, they possessed a unique charm similar to what’s now called ‘Eurojank.’ Because of this, he believes it’s inaccurate to limit the ‘Eurojank’ label to games from a specific region.

As a fan, it’s really interesting to hear how “Eurojank” came about with games like Stalker. Apparently, the developers, including Verpakhovskyi, didn’t even realize they were making something different! They weren’t trying to create a unique style; they just made games, and weren’t really thinking about how their work compared to stuff coming out of Japan, the US, or anywhere else. What’s even more fascinating is that almost everyone on the team was new to game development – a lot of them didn’t have formal training in art or engineering. So, looking back, it’s not so surprising that the games weren’t perfect – it was a team of newcomers figuring things out as they went!

Verpakhovskyi raises a really good point about how we categorize games. The genres I mentioned earlier weren’t initially popular – even though some have gained a following since then. I enjoy walking sims, play JRPGs, and even appreciate glitchy, imperfect games. But maybe we should be more mindful of the assumptions we make about games based on where they’re made. Just something to consider!

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2026-03-29 01:55