Stalker 2 has sold over a half-million copies: "This is only the beginning"

Stalker 2, the long-awaited sequel of a PC classic, has finally been released. Our own Joshua Wolens said that it was "still Stalker down to its bare bones." Zone-fanciers will be pleased to know that the game has largely stayed true to the original design and, as our review states, "hasn't compromised the things that made the game so special all those many years ago."

It looks like there's a market out there for it. "No wonder the Zone feels a little crowded," reads a recent post from GSC Game World. "A million copies have been sold and many more stalkers are now participating in the artifact hunting with Game Pass.

"This is only the beginning of our unforgettable journey. The Heart of Chornobyl grows stronger with each of you. "Thank You, stalkers!"

It's great to see a developer who makes a distinction between Game Pass and sales. And secondly, that's a big result for a sequel to a cult favorite. The last Stalker title before this was Call of Pripyat in 2010, but it's clear that memories of the Zone are still lingering.

Stalker 2's existence is a major achievement. The development of the game was halted by Russia's invasion in Ukraine. GSC Game World was forced to relocate, and many of its employees left to serve in Ukraine's army. At least one of them, Volodymyr Yazhov, lost his life in action. A new office in Prague was destroyed by fire shortly after it opened, and Russian hackers leaked the early test builds in 2023.

In that context, it's a small miracle the game has been released at all. Forget about how good it is. GSC said that completing the games was a way of saying to the world, "We are here." It's encouraging to see, after all the work that went into Stalker 2, that over a hundred thousand people are here to play it.