STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl, the long-awaited sequel to the cult series of games about the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, no longer causes such excitement among gamers as before. Despite this, interest in the game has not died down completely, judging by the number of views on trailers and gameplay fragments of the project.
Once again, the developers announced a postponement of the release of their long-term project. Now it is scheduled for November 20 of this year. They explained this by the fact that they need more time to fix the shortcomings. However, even if we take into account all the promises of the creators of the new “Stalker” to present the game in the best possible way, there are several reasons why it may not live up to expectations after its release. In this article, we will consider five factors that can lead to the failure of STALKER 2.
High expectations from fans
The game has high expectations from its loyal fans. The original trilogy set high standards with its atmospheric storytelling and the ability to explore a post-nuclear open world. This leaves the developers with a daunting task of making the new game match that level, let alone surpass it.
If, after more than one year of development, players (God forbid) receive a product that does not bring anything innovative and is inferior to its predecessors, then the game is unlikely to achieve mass success.
Technological component
Creating a game the size of STALKER 2 comes with significant technological challenges. Bugs, glitches, and performance issues can ruin the gameplay, leading to negative reviews and player frustration.
Previous games in the series had characteristic shortcomings, due to which some “Zone explorers” had to seek help on the Internet to continue the game, and some even started it all over again due to critical errors.
Gaming competition
Since the release of the original STALKER, the gaming industry has developed significantly. Today, many high-quality projects in a post-apocalyptic setting are competing for the attention of gamers, including Fallout, Metro and Dying Light. Due to the high saturation of the gaming market with representatives of this theme, it will be quite difficult for a new game of the same genre to win the recognition of sophisticated players.
Weak artificial intelligence
There is a concern that NPCs will not be “smart and quick-witted.” This is due to the fact that the game is planned to be released simultaneously on Xbox and PC consoles. And if the version of the game for both platforms is the same, then there is a good chance that players will see bots that think long, run slowly and shoot past, specially created with such parameters that it is easier to hit them with a gamepad.
At the same time, the developers have already responded to theories about artificial intelligence in the game. According to them, everyone will be able to independently choose the difficulty, which will determine the quality of AI. It remains only to see how everything will work in practice.
Frequent transfers
STALKER 2 continues to face numerous delays. Extended production times often lead to increased pressure on developers, which leads to rushed development or incomplete elements that can affect the quality of the final version. A prime example of this is Cyberpunk 2077, which received many unflattering reviews shortly after its release.
However, if STALKER 2 turns out to be an unfinished, unoptimized and poorly functioning game, then it will suffer the same fate as Cyberpunk 2077 – everyone will grumble and then calm down. Only the players themselves will have to polish the project to a playable state. User modifications, for which this gaming universe is famous, will be able to make even a clumsy “Stalker” into a dream project. But for now, we believe in the best and hope that numerous transfers will be useful for STALKER 2.