S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is removed from Steam due to a legal licensing issue

GSC Game World, the developer behind the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise, has sued Maewing for intellectual property infringement related to its game Misery. This title, which was released on October 23 and achieved considerable success on Steam, was removed from the platform after receiving a DMCA notice. The Ukrainian company claims that Misery uses prototypical elements from the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl series. Neither vodka nor guitars Maewing, responsible for creating Misery, strongly denied the accusations and stated that their game has no relation to Chernobyl or GSC’s titles. In […]

GSC Game World, the developer behind the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise, has sued Maewing for intellectual property infringement related to its game Misery. This title, which was released on October 23 and achieved considerable success on Steam, was removed from the platform after receiving a DMCA notice. The Ukrainian company claims that Misery uses prototypical elements from the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl series.

Neither vodka nor guitars

Maewing, responsible for the creation of Misery, strongly denied the accusations and stated that his game has no relation to Chernobyl or the titles from GSC. In multiple statements, the developer assured that all the resources used in Misery are original or have legal licenses, arguing that there should be no copyright over general cultural elements such as Soviet buildings or abandoned places. However, Valve, the digital distribution platform, presented visual evidence suggesting significant similarities between Misery and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.

The controversy escalated when offensive messages from Maewing were leaked in a Discord channel, generating a negative reaction in the community. The developer publicly apologized, stating that his past comments were inappropriate and do not reflect his current stance. Despite the game’s removal, Maewing remained optimistic about resolving the situation and expressed his intention to continue developing Misery.

Some users on Reddit have begun to speculate about the possibility that Misery has reused resources from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, which could explain GSC Game World’s strong legal action. Moreover, some suggest that the tension could have a political background related to the invasion of Ukraine, given that there has been mention of alleged support from Maewing to Russia. So far, GSC Game World has not commented on the progress of its lawsuit or the possibility of Misery returning to the platform.

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One of the pioneers of the open world genre will be relaunched on PC next week

Ziggurat Interactive has announced that they will publish this month one of the pioneers of open worlds, now forgotten by most

Today, open worlds no longer surprise anyone. It is taken for granted that games will have open worlds, or at least very expansive environments, because the era of closed environments is practically over for entire genres, at least in AAA games. That doesn’t mean there are no pioneers. Some games paved the way in that regard. And one of those pioneers is set to become available again soon on PC.

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That’s the case with Boiling Point: Road to Hell, which, as announced by Ziggurat Interactive, is set to be relaunched soon for PC. It is scheduled for release on November 14th on GOG and Steam.

If you’re not familiar with Boiling Point: Road to Hell, that’s understandable. This 2005 FPS was once a pioneer in the open-world gaming genre. With a massive map spanning 25×25 kilometers without any loading times and immersive sim mechanics, it paved the way for games like Far Cry or Just Cause. Its only issue was a bug-filled launch, which prevented it from garnering much attention at the time.

The game also has a prestigious origin. It was created by Deep Shadows, a Ukrainian studio founded in 2001 by former employees of GSC Game World, the studio behind the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise, which has three installments to its name. They are also working on a fourth installment, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, despite all the challenges they are currently facing.

Now, Boiling Point: Road to Hell will return to PC under the banner of Ziggurat Interactive, allowing us to place it in the position it deserves within the history of video games. This is a significant reason for joy for all of us who care about video game preservation.

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Ukraine Crisis Causes Setback: Microsoft’s Highly Awaited Game Postponed

STALKER 2 is revealed again, this time to give us bad news, which feels bittersweet: it is delayed, but it looks better than ever in its new trailer.

The war in Ukraine has impacted the world in many unexpected ways. Besides the devastating human toll it’s taking, it’s also having effects on various aspects of life, including the realm of video games. After all, video games are also developed in Ukraine. And while it might be easy to assume that a country at war abandons everything else, that’s not the case. People continue to live their lives and try to maintain some semblance of normalcy, even if it’s often not exactly feasible.

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That’s what happened with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The game by GSC Game World, a studio based in Ukraine known for developing the cult classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, has been heavily affected by the war in Ukraine. And that’s not over.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl—originally Heart of Chernobyl but later changed to match Ukrainian pronunciation instead of Russian—was announced on May 15, 2018, to be released in 2023 for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. At the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, GSC Game World had to pause the game’s development. Although they resumed the game’s development in May 2022, with part of the team relocated to Prague, another part of the team remains in Ukraine. This has led to an official delay of the game, albeit not a significant one: its new release window is the first quarter of 2024.

The game will be a first-person shooter with survival mechanics and elements of immersive simulation and horror, just like the original game. Featuring a cinematic story, it will take us to explore the heart of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, known as the Zone, where anomalies are said to occur, hiding valuable secrets for those who can uncover them.

Despite the delay, a gameplay trailer of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been released, showcasing the game’s visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5 and its close connection to the original game. It’s a testament to the creative resilience of the brave individuals at GSC Game World, who haven’t let even the Russia-Ukraine conflict destroy their creative spirit. With its release still on the horizon, the game remains highly anticipated.

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