Russian STALKER Felt Betrayed, Got Revenge With Leaks
The recent leak of materials and files from the console port of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl turned out to be a form of revenge by a Russian fan of the series against the Ukrainian studio GSC Game World.
A few days ago news broke about leaked footage from the yet unannounced official console port of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl. It turns out that the leak of an early version of the project was the responsibility of a Russian streamer who wanted to take revenge on the Ukrainian studio GSC Game World.
- Attached to the files of the early version of the game is a document written by a streamer using the nicknames "Nevazhno, Who" and "Velichaishii."
- It is a five-page pamphlet in which the accuses GSC Game World of "ingratitude" towards Russian fans, who supported the team and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R series. Recall that the Ukrainian developers withdrew their games from sale in Russia after the outbreak of war in their country.
- He also accuses the Ukrainian studio of "discriminating" against Russian players on the official Discord.
- However, the biggest ire was caused by a fundraiser organized by GSC Game World to buy equipment for the Ukrainian army. According to the streamer, the studio failed to warn players that it was against Russian law to take part. This is the only allegation by the leaker that seems to make any sense, but even here it is a stretch, as GSC Game World quickly added a warning about the possible legal consequences of taking part in the fundraiser. The studio stresses that it is one of the few Ukrainian companies that have done so.
- Leaker also claims to have obtained an early version of the game from a developer at GSC Game World, who was unhappy with how Russian players are treated by that company. Here, however, we give credence to the studio's word that this is nonsense. After all, the port files were part of a larger leak, also containing the personal data of many employees, spread by a group of Russian bloggers. So it's hard to imagine that anyone from the studio itself would behind it.
PC Gamer contacted the leaker, asking him for comment. In the conversation he tried to present himself as a disappointed fan and not someone stupefied by Russian propaganda, but he does not sound convincing. He seems to think that since he is not personally fighting on the front lines himself, he should not be affected by the consequences of the war. On top of that, he apparently has no problem doing harm to the studio of which he is supposedly such a big fan. GSC Game World itself also stresses that distribution of these files on the Russian Internet is accompanied by calls to harm the company and even threats against its employees.
Regardless of the leaker's motivation, the leak itself appears to be true. It implies that there are plans to port older installments of the series to consoles. Such a move would make sense, as it would help prepare a new group of gamers for the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (scheduled for next year), as well as obtain additional funding for the development of this sequel. Especially since a number of developers from GSC Game World are currently fighting on the front lines, so any support from the team will come in handy.
