S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 presses on, but studio needs cash - Report

Last year ended on an appropriately bleak note for fans of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series of postapocalyptic action games. GSC Game World founder and CEO Sergei Grigorovich reportedly decided to close the studio, leaving the fate of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 up in the air. After days of silence on the subject, a representative would only say that the team was trying to carry on, but "nothing is certain." This year is off to a somewhat more upbeat start for the studio, as the game's official Facebook page was updated with good news for fans.

"The Stalker team is extremely happy," exclaimed the post. "Why? Because we are continuing work on Stalker 2 after the holidays."

Despite that, GSC Game World does not appear to be out of the woods just yet. Speaking with Edge Magazine, GSC representative Oleg Yavorsky said the studio was "still in the process of seeking funding to back up the project."

The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are centered around Chernobyl, which suffered a nuclear reactor meltdown in 1986. In the original game, the town is subjected to a second dose of nuclear fallout, spawning a rash of hideously mutated monsters. To date, GSC Game World has released two follow-ups to the original game: Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat. A full sequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, was announced in 2010 with a 2012 release window attached.