News · Культура

New instalment of renamed Ukrainian S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise faces likely ban in Russia

Photo: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. / X

The Russian authorities are considering banning S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the sequel to a cult Ukrainian video game set in a post-apocalyptic society following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy said on Monday.

“I think that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has every chance of being banned in Russia,” State Duma Deputy Anton Gorelkin told state news agency RIA Novosti, adding that “tough measures” would be taken if the game was deemed to “justify terrorism” or contained what he called “extremist” content.

Developed by Kyiv-based studio GSC Game World, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is due to go on sale on 20 November, over two years after its initial release had to be pushed back due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The game’s Ukrainian developers have publicly condemned the Russian invasion of their country, and despite the team partially relocating to Prague after the outbreak of full-scale war, many still work from Kyiv. 

Other members of the team have enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the BBC reported in October, quoting one developer who said “we load our weapons with one hand and make our game with the other”. The team has also encouraged its fans to raise money to support Ukraine.

The new instalment of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise was originally entitled Heart of Chernobyl, using the Russian spelling for the site of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant that experienced a catastrophic meltdown almost 40 years ago. However, in 2022 the game was renamed Heart of Chornobyl to reflect the Ukrainian spelling and the developers also removed the Russian voiceover from the game and blocked its sale in Russia.

Despite the game’s substantial fanbase in Russia, one GSC Game World executive told a gaming conference in Cologne in April that the company had “decided to join the sanctions” on Russia after noticing the lack of support it received from Russian gamer following the invasion, and even reported being targeted in Russian hacking attacks.

“We have faced blackmail, acts of aggression … and efforts to damage the development process or the reputation of our company,” GSC Game World said in a 2023 statement, describing their support for Ukraine as “unwavering”.