video games

STALKER 2 Encouraged Many Fans to Visit Chornobyl Area Illegally. Ukrainian Border Guards Warn

STALKER 2 repeated the feat of its predecessor - the release of the highly anticipated sequel to the game by GSC Game World studio attracted even more illegal visitors to the real Zone.

Jacob Blazewicz

Source: GSC Game World.

STALKER 2's release drew in illegal tourists to the real Zone. Ukrainian border authorities have issued a statement advising fans of the radioactive series not to enter the restricted area of the former Chornobyl nuclear power plant.

As reported by the South China Morning Post, shortly after the launch of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Shadow of the Chornobyl "a significant number of adventurers" tried to enter the Zone in search of "extreme experiences." According to the Ukrainian border service, the "adventurers" were supposed to be "gamers."

Related:How to Use Money Glitch in Stalker 2

Basically, this shouldn't be surprising. The release of the first installment of the GSC Game World series attracted crowds of tourists to the Zone, as often happens when a popular video game features real locations. However, since the outbreak of war, the region has been closed to visitors. Apparently, some players have dreamed of becoming real stalkers and illegally exploring the 30-kilometer Zone in search of treasures.

The Ukrainian border services have reminded that trespassing into a forbidden area is not only subject to administrative and criminal penalties but also risky due to the level of radioactive contamination in the closed location. Besides, let's be honest, you probably won't find any anomalies or valuable artifacts there like in the game.

The border guard emphasized that such "guests" are nothing new. As we mentioned earlier, after the launch of the first STALKER, Chornobyl began to be visited by more tourists, but also by people trying to enter the Zone illegally (via National Geographic). According to information from 3 years ago, Ukrainian services were to intern about 400 people every year (via The National).

  1. STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Review - Zone, How Much We Have Missed You!
  2. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Heart of the Chornobyl - game guide

More:Problems with Running and Walking in Stalker 2. How to Fix this Bug

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

November 20, 2024

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Author: Jacob Blazewicz

Graduated with a master's degree in Polish Studies from the University of Warsaw with a thesis dedicated to this very subject. Started his adventure with GRYOnline.pl in 2015, writing in the Newsroom and later also in the film and technology sections (also contributed to the Encyclopedia). Interested in video games (and not only video games) for years. He began with platform games and, to this day, remains a big fan of them (including Metroidvania). Also shows interest in card games (including paper), fighting games, soulslikes, and basically everything about games as such. Marvels at pixelated characters from games dating back to the time of the Game Boy (if not older).

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