NEW YORK, Dec 10: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the latest release in the popular video game series, has shattered records since its release on November 20, despite facing multiple challenges, including delays and a targeted Russian disinformation campaign.

Developed by GSC Game World, a Ukrainian video game studio, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series began in 2007 with S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl. The newest edition of the series surpassed one million downloads and 117,000 concurrent players within just 48 hours, marking it as the most successful Ukrainian-developed video game to date. However, this success comes with a bittersweet backdrop.

Volodymyr Yezhov, a former developer at GSC Game World and known by his nickname “Fresh,” was killed in combat near Bakhmut in December 2022 while serving in the Ukrainian military. His death underscored the devastating impact of the ongoing war on Ukraine’s gaming community.

Due to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, part of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 development team had to relocate to Prague to continue work on the game. This situation was compounded by a Russian disinformation campaign, which sought to undermine the game's success.

A fake video, circulating online with a fabricated Wired magazine watermark, falsely claimed that the game was being used to recruit Ukrainian soldiers and collect private player data. This disinformation spread through social media as part of a broader Russian strategy to destabilize public opinion about Ukraine during the war. Ukraine has been grappling with recruitment issues, which have intensified in recent months.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, like its predecessors, combines elements of first-person shooter and survival horror genres. Set in a reimagined version of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, the game transports players to an alternate reality following a fictional second catastrophe that further endangers the already perilous landscape. Players must navigate this post-apocalyptic world, confronting mutant creatures and uncovering the mysteries surrounding the zone's twisted existence.

The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, created after the 1986 nuclear disaster, covers roughly 2,600 square kilometers (1,004 square miles) around the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. In the game’s narrative, players take on the role of "Skif," a Ukrainian whose life is altered when his home is destroyed by a mysterious anomaly.

The game is influenced by Soviet authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s 1972 novel Roadside Picnic and Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 film Stalker. The storyline and setting are designed to immerse players in a haunting, irradiated environment, where the dangers of the zone are ever-present.

The Russian disinformation campaign targeting S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 included a one-minute video alleging that the game was helping the Ukrainian government locate citizens for military mobilization. The video claimed that an embedded program in the game was collecting personal data, including device information, IP address, and player location, and transmitting this data to the developer’s servers every second.

This disinformation operation is thought to be part of a broader Russian effort known as "Operation Matryoshka," which floods social media, Telegram channels, and journalists’ inboxes with fabricated stories intended to harm Ukraine’s reputation and waste journalists' time. According to the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), this strategy aims to create confusion, reduce trust in news outlets, and spread false narratives about Ukraine and its allies.

The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series began in 2007 with S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl, set in an alternate reality where a second nuclear disaster occurs at Chornobyl. The series expanded with S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky in 2008 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat in 2009. The development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was first announced in 2010.

Ukraine has produced other successful video game franchises, such as the Metro series, developed by 4A Games. The Metro series, based on novels by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, shares post-apocalyptic themes similar to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.. Founded by former GSC Game World developers, 4A Games relocated its operations to Malta in 2014 due to political unrest in Ukraine.

Another Ukrainian game, Glory to the Heroes, is currently under development by Spacedev Games. It is designed to offer a realistic tactical first-person shooter experience, immersing players in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the complexities of modern warfare.

Despite the challenges posed by war and disinformation, Ukrainian game developers continue to produce successful titles, reflecting the resilience and creativity of the country’s gaming industry.