author: Michael Zegar
New Info on STALKER 2; Prequel May Get a Remake
A PR manager at GSC Game World suggested in an interview that a remake of the original STALKER may be in the making. Moreover, his statement indicates that the upcoming STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl seems to have more in common with the cancelled sequel than originally thought.
- STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl is supposed to feature a brand new faction called "Noon" (translated from Russian). It is related to the events shown in Call of Pripyat;
- GSC Game World once had an idea to create a remake of the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R., however, it is not known whether the project is currently being developed;
- More than 500 people are said to be working at GSC, including freelancers;
- The original games are still to receive patches;
- Upcoming Heart of Chernobyl may have much more in common with the canceled version of STALKER 2 than originally thought.
STALKER 2 is supposed to feature a brand new faction called "Noon" (translated from Russian), which was confirmed by youtuber (03:06) known as "Doesn't matter who" (translated from Russian). On the social network website VK there was information that the group was to be led by Vagabond, known from the Call of Pripyat. In addition, mention of this group appears in one of the game's endings. Thus we know that it would be canon in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl. But that's just the beginning of the flood of information we've received in recent days.
Interview with Bochar Bocharov and the alleged remake of STALKER.
- The aforementioned "Doesn't matter who" recently conducted an interview with the PR manager of GSC Game World (the studio responsible for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series) - Zachar Bocharov. Thanks to that we learned some really interesting facts about the upcoming Heart of Chernobyl.
- Bocharov initially admitted in an interview that there are 300 people working at the studio at the moment (07:26). However, it was later revealed that he had made a mistake. In today's video he corrected his statement. GSC is currently supposed to employ - including freelancers - more than 500 people (04:18).
- The studio once had the idea to release a remake ofthe original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. However, as Bocharov put it, "there's nothing to announce at this point." This does not mean, of course, that such a remake is being made, but the PR manager's response indicates that something may indeed be on the cards (36:16).
- A similar statement ("yes, no announcements - we were thinking about it") was given as an answer to a question about a board game inspired by the universe of STALKER or Cossacks. Bocharov also added: "STALKER is easier to fit into a board game than Cossacks"(35:09).
- The original games in the series will continue to receive patches, and any striking bugs will be fixed (36:08).
- Bocharov admitted that many developers at GSC play fan-made modifications for the games. Moreover, a large number of them have created mods for these games themselves in the past (18:06).
- The developer also believes that STALKER 2 will be a competition for the Metro series, or at least "in terms of appealing to the same target audience of players" (12:57).
- Bocharov confirmed that STALKER 2 is being designed completely from scratch, so we won't be seeing any models from the canceled version of STALKER 2 from 2011 (last year files from that project surfaced on the web). However, some ideas and locations from the canceled game will probably find their way into the upcoming Heart of Chernobyl (29:03).
What Heart of Chernobyl may have in common with the canceled sequel
- For example, the mysterious building that we could see during the presentation of STALKER 2 (4:10) at last year's Microsoft conference (specifically on the horizon on the left above the mysterious character's arm). It is also visible on the game's official website, just above the stalker's head.
- Polish website Centrum Zony has confirmed that this is the NIICHAZ (fictional Institute for Research on Chernobyl Anomalous Zone). The website referred to a tweet by Bocharov, in which he gives such an answer to one of his fans. According to the alleged script of the canceled STALKER 2 - put together from various leaks - the institute was supposed to play a significant role in the game's plot.
- So it looks like Heart of Chernobyl may have much more in common with the canceled sequel than Bocharov claims.
- Polish youtube channel Stalker World proves that the similarities do not end there. As it turns out, one of the screenshots shared in December is supposed to present the village of Zalesie (you can see it at the bottom of the article). This was supposedly located near the aforementioned institute in the canceled sequel.
- Interestingly, it could have been the location of the stalker camp appearing in the trailer for Heart of Chernobyl from last June. The scenes in question show silhouettes of roofs in the background, as well as a car wreck surprisingly similar to the one seen in the aforementioned screenshot.
- Stalker World also highlighted a field of poppies from Heart of Chernobyl, which is also visible on the screenshots released in December (as well as on the title image of this article). It is also mentioned in the list of planned anomalies which also did not make it into the canceled STALKER 2.
A word about NIICHAZ:
What is the aforementioned institute? The first mention of it appeared already in one of the endings of Call of Pripyat. It was to have official custody of the territory and be home to numerous scientists. This is where our adventure would begin and end in the original version of the sequel, which never saw the light of day. It was also the only location for which a reasonably functional prototype was created.
Most of the rooms were supposed to be open to the player. The outpost occupied a fairly large area surrounded by barbed wire, where we could find the main complex, as well as several smaller buildings: a 3-story hotel, a warehouse converted into a shooting range, a small bar and a decontamination chamber for those returning from the Zone. Nearby was a camp for "illegal" stalkers - those who had gotten on the institution's bad side - along with a black market.
What alleged role did NIICHAZ play in the plot of the canceled STALKER 2?
Inside the complex, we were supposed to come across the office of Strelok (the protagonist of Shadow of Chernobyl), acting as a consultant who, shortly after the story began... would be killed by an explosion in the facility. The main character would be wrongly blamed for the incident, but he would quickly be helped by an unknown stalker.
Thus, we would catch the trail of a conspiracy formed by officials inside the institute. Their goal was to create an installation that could change the Zone's ecosystem forever. The Exclusion Zone's future would rest in the hands of the player.
