Summary

  • STALKER 2 is allegedly being review bombed by Russians paid to tarnish its image, but the game remains popular.
  • Despite development challenges, STALKER 2 has sold over 1.4 million copies and received positive reviews from critics.
  • GSC Game World plans to prioritize fixing bugs and performance issues in STALKER 2 before adding new content.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is allegedly being review bombed by people being paid to tarnish the game’s image. Released earlier this month, STALKER 2 was an eagerly awaited title, and it’s doing well both commercially and critically, but it seems that some people in Russia are not keen on seeing it thrive.

STALKER 2 had a tumultuous journey before its launch on November 20. The game was originally planned by developer GSC Game World in 2010 but was eventually canceled, and development only restarted in 2018. In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, where GSC Game World is located, leading to huge instability in the country, and some developers were even conscripted by the army to fight in the war. The studio had to move to Prague, in the Czech Republic, and the game’s subtitle even changed to the Ukrainian spelling of Chornobyl instead of Chernobyl.

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Now, DualShockers spotted multiple social media reports of Russians being offered money in exchange for negative reviews of STALKER 2 on Steam and TikTok. In a Telegram message shared on social media, someone can be seen offering as much as 100 rubles (1.24 dollars) for a negative review on Steam. In any case, STALKER 2 currently stands with Mostly Positive reviews on Steam, with 78% of all gamers liking it, indicating that the likely coordinated review bombing has not been able to affect the title much. While there are plenty of negative STALKER 2 reviews, most of them have been written by gamers with over 10 hours playing it. Despite this, it’s still possible to find some short negative reviews that could be part of this review bombing initiative.

Gamers Are Allegedly Being Paid to Review Bomb STALKER 2

In any case, STALKER 2 is a big hit. The title sold over 1.4 million copies so far, an impressive number considering it’s also available on Xbox Game Pass.

Apart from sales, STALKER 2 also received positive reviews from critics. The open-world FPS currently has an average critic score of 74 on OpenCritic, which acknowledges how bugged and janky the experience currently is but also praises its gameplay and style.

A few days ago, GSC Game World also revealed plans to fix the most pressing issues of STALKER 2. According to the Ukrainian developer, the game’s massive size means it has some rough edges, and the studio will focus on solving bugs and performance issues before focusing on making new content for the popular shooter.

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Stalker 2 Tag Page

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl

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FPS
Survival Horror
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Systems
Xbox-1
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Released
2024
ESRB
m
Developer(s)
GSC Game World
Publisher(s)
GSC Game World
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
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Chornobyl Exclusion Zone has changed dramatically after the second massive explosion in year 2006. Violent mutants, deadly anomalies, warring factions have made the Zone a very tough place to survive. Nevertheless, artifacts of unbelievable value attracted many people called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who entered the Zone for their own risk striving to make a fortune out of it or even to find the Truth concealed in the Heart of Chornobyl.

EPIC NONLINEAR STORY IN SEAMLESS OPEN WORLD
Take over a role of the lone stalker and explore photorealistic seamless open world in a 64-km² radioactive zone with a variety of environments that reveal post-apocalyptic atmosphere from different angles. Make your way through the Zone to define your destiny as you choose your paths within highly branching epic story.

VARIETY OF ENEMIES AND HUNDREDS OF WEAPON COMBINATIONS
Meet members of different factions deciding who of them worth your friendship and who deserve a bullet. Engage intense gunfights with a variety of enemies that follow different tactics trying to outsmart you. Choose your preferable firearms from 30+ types of weapons with numerous modifications that allow creating hundreds of distinctive lethal combinations.

Platform(s)
Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows
Genre(s)
FPS, Survival Horror