Russian 'Fans' Threaten to Leak STALKER 2 Content if GSC Doesn't Apologize

Update

GSC Game World has confirmed via social media that the account of one of the company's employees has been hacked, as a result of which images related to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 were leaked. Responsible for the act was the community from a Russian social network, which then committed blackmail. The developers stressed in an official statement that for more than a year the studio has been subjected to cyber attacks, as well as threats and acts of aggression.

The developers thanked the loyal community for all the support they have shown, as well as asked them to refrain from viewing illegally accessed resources. As they say, outdated or unfinished materials can undermine the final experience of the game.

Original message

Coming from Russia, fans of the of the series S.T.A.L.K.E.R. cannot come to terms with the decisions of Ukrainian studio GSC Game World regarding the game's withdrawal from the local market. A group calling itself Vestnik TSS threatens leaking dozens of gigabytes of material from the upcoming S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The blackmailers claim to have access to the full script, descriptions of movie cut-scenes, concept arts or maps. As proof they have made available some of the resources on the social network VK.

Vestnik TSS claims to have much more data and intends to disclose it if by March 15 the developers do not change their approach to Russian and Belarusian players. They expect GSC Game World to apologize, unblock the NF Star user account on Discord and prepare localization in their language.

Blackmailers threaten GSC - Russian fan community divided

Vestnik TSS members claim that despite the developer's "unfriendly actions" they are staying positive about the Ukrainian company. They urge the devs "not to let S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 die due to the politicization of the studio." They also believe that the leak could lead to the cancellation of the game or a delay in its release.

1. Among the Reddit community, there is no shortage of voices disbelieving the effectiveness of blackmail. As noted by PseudoWounds - one of the website's users, similar leaks were previously experienced by such titles as The Last of Us: Part II and Half-Life 2 (and many other well-known items). This did not stop their developers from releasing the aforementioned games.
2. The demands of Vestnik TSS also sparked mixed feelings among those VK users. Some of them fear that the threats will only strengthen the Ukrainian studio's conviction that their decisions are right. We can also read in Russian-language comments that "the very fact of blackmail is depressing and will not lead to reconciliation and the restoration of trust." However, there is no denying that many people believe in the success of the group's methods.
3. It is worth recalling that this would not be the first leak caused by Russian users - one player in 2022 released some of the game's materials as revenge for "ingratitude" to fans from his country.