“STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl” is an action-packed video game for Windows that sees players battle violent mutants and greedy thugs in the backdrop of the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Developed by Ukraine-based GSC Game World, the first-person shooter is highly anticipated by fans of its prequel. “STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl” However, it is not scheduled to be released until December 2023.
Part of that delay can be attributed to the fact that some of the GSC Game World development team have been busy for other reasons. Fight Russian invaders in real life.
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But the battle between GSC Game World employees and Russia is also digital.
On Sunday, the makers of the STALKER game clearly Hackers have leaked stolen development materials from the company’s systems, threatening to release dozens more gigabytes if their ransom demands are not met.
Recently, our employees’ collective image processing application accounts were hacked. Responsibility for this was claimed by the community of Russian social networks. They threaten to use the obtained data for extortion and intimidation. This is not the first attempt to hack and leak data containing personal information. We have endured constant cyberattacks for over a year. We have faced extortion, aggression, hacking, attempts to harm our players and fans, and attempts to harm our development process or our reputation.
We are a Ukrainian company and, like most Ukrainians, we have experienced many things that are much more terrifying, such as the destruction of our homes, the ruin of our lives, the death of our loved ones. Any attempt to blackmail or intimidate us is futile.
Our unwavering commitment to support our country remains unchanged – we will continue to do everything possible to support Ukraine. And this will not change under any circumstances going forward. .
We remain strong and brave despite attempts to break us. Because when you believe in something and love it with all your heart, you have to protect it at all costs.
We have been through a lot. But these challenges only encourage us to work harder because we believe the truth is on our side.
in case of leakage. Please refrain from watching or distributing information on STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Outdated, work-in-progress material can dilute the final ideas you put into your game. For the best possible experience, we recommend waiting patiently for the official release. We think you will love it.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our loyal community. We are overwhelmed with the response and support we have received from you. Thank you. From all members of the GSC Game World team.
Our mission is to put all our strength and passion into completing the project and delivering it to our customers, despite all the obstacles in progress. Your support is our inspiration.
Glory to Ukraine.
Sincerely,
GSC Game World Team
And what are the hacker’s demands?
Oddly enough, hackers don’t want your money.
and director A statement was posted on the Russian social media site VK (also known as VKontakte, effectively the Russian version of Facebook) demanding the return of Russian voice actors in the game (removed after the invasion of Ukraine). ). Unban the account in Russia and Belarus and his Discord channel in the game.
Hackers claim to own the full storyline stalker 2cutscene descriptions, concept art, global maps, and more.
What they did by hacking GSC Game World’s computers was clearly illegal, but they’re clearly big fans of the game as well.
“Don’t let the STALKER die because of your politicization. The stagnation is already being felt very acutely, which means it’s time to build relationships with the community.”
According to the hackers, GSC Game World has until tomorrow, Wednesday, March 15th to respond to their request.
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