GSC Gameworld Reopens - New Game in Development

So, what happened to initiate the shut down of GSC four years ago? Was it a purely financial decision?

"Well it's a combination of issues, not just a financial one, and it was also a personal decision by our CEO. Actually, STALKER 2 was in the middle of development, but we started to realise that we weren't ready to complete the game at the level of quality that we thought it should be. That was connected to a lack of specific people in the team.

"We realised that STALKER 2 was different. It was going to take too much time - by the time it was ready, it was definitely going to be out of date"

"Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat were both closer to add-ons than stand alone games, they were completely based on Shadow of Chernobyl. We realised that STALKER 2 was different. It was going to take too much time - by the time it was ready, it was definitely going to be out of date. We had the scenarios all written by the guy who did the original STALKER, but that's just a scenario, not a full game. We were closer to the beginning of development than the end.

"It was a difficult decision, because the team was working towards a full-scale game, but they and our CEO understood that the game just wouldn't be at the level we wanted from STALKER 2. There was also a problem getting interest, and the right money, from publishers. We were offered funding once we reached alpha. Actually we would have been able to fund the entire development ourselves, but we still weren't sure we'd be able to sell it once we'd got to alpha.

Click to expand...

What happened with the West Games claims about the STALKER assets and team?

"I don't really know enough about them, but the story is quite funny. These guys were basically promoting themselves as being the STALKER team, that they were working on STALKER, but that's not true. When we were working on STALKER 2, we were also planning on releasing a browser game based on STALKER so we could keep the audience engaged until released.

"That project was never finished. There were mistakes. But the guys at West Games, that was the STALKER project they were working on - a flash game. So when they promoted themselves as having worked on STALKER, I was quite surprised. We would definitely win the legal action against them, but we won't start it. They used a lot of the ideas from STALKER… I don't know what they were thinking, starting that. I haven't heard from them for quite a while."

(West Games has recently announced a rebranded funding campaign for a game called STALKER Apocalypse which uses much of the same media previously seen in its Areal campaign. You can read about the legal implications of that here)

Click to expand...

That was connected to a lack of specific people in the team.

Click to expand...

Don't get over excited. GSC is simply producing and publishing a new Cossacks game. Cossacks 3.

How do you know? And they really think there is more to gain going for this title instead of a good old fashioned but revamped S.T.A.L.K.E.R. where the hype is among fans?

Inside information.

Click to expand...