The highly anticipated survival horror shooter, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, achieved phenomenal success in its home country, Ukraine, causing a significant nationwide internet slowdown. This article delves into the game's launch and the developer's reaction to this unprecedented event.
A Nation Enters The Zone
The sheer popularity of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 on its November 20th release date overwhelmed Ukrainian internet infrastructure. Major providers, Tenet and Triolan, reported a dramatic drop in internet speeds in the evening, directly attributed to the simultaneous downloads by thousands of enthusiastic Ukrainian players. Triolan's Telegram announcement, as translated by ITC, cited "increased load on the channels due to the massive interest in the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R." as the cause.
Even after successfully downloading the game, many players experienced login and loading delays. This nationwide internet disruption lasted for several hours before resolving as players completed their downloads.
GSC Game World, the developer, expressed both pride and surprise at this event. Creative director Mariia Grygorovych stated, "It was hard for the whole country, and it's a bad thing because the internet is important, but at the same time it's like whoa! For us and our team, what's most important is, for some people in Ukraine, they feel a little bit happier than they were before release. We did something for our home country, something good for them."
Underscoring its immense popularity, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 achieved sales of 1 million copies within just two days of its release. Despite acknowledged performance issues and bugs, the game's success was remarkable, particularly in Ukraine.
GSC Game World, a Ukrainian studio operating from Kyiv and Prague, faced challenges bringing the game to market, with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine causing multiple launch delays. However, their commitment resulted in a November release. The studio continues to address bugs and optimize the game, recently releasing its third major patch.
