S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl would have been the first title from the Stalker franchise in over 13 years. It was slated for release in December 2022 but unfortunately, the situation between Russia and Ukraine has made that impossible.

The Ukraine-based game developer GSC Game World encountered setbacks in the game's development and had to move its operation to Prague, Czechia. It is reported that some members of the development team were forced to flee their homes while others decided to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Twitter user and Xbox insider @IdleSloth84_, tweeted earlier today a rumor that STALKER 2 won't be out until 2024-2025 due to staff departures because of the ongoing armed conflict. According to the tweet, the game is in a "state of permanent repair." The tweet also disclosed that GSC Game World was forced to redo the game from scratch because of the departures.

The initial information shared by @IdleSloth84_ came from Vitaliy Kazunov, editor-in-chief of the Russian site iXBT Games. Kazunov, in a Youtube video, claims to have spoken to the people that worked on the game and they've relayed that ineffective management is also part of the reason for the two-year delay.