GSC Game World has moved to clarify the extent of its founder’s involvement in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, following recent comments from Sergiy Grygorovych that sparked confusion. In an interview, Grygorovych claimed that Xbox’s funding for the project exceeded the game’s entire development budget and helped cover costs “before the first day.” The studio has now issued a formal statement to Insider Gaming, pushing back against any misinterpretation.
While GSC initially hesitated to comment, it ultimately decided that “continued silence may be perceived as confirmation of information that is simply not true.” The studio then made it crystal clear: Grygorovych was not involved in either the negotiations with partners or the actual development of the game throughout its full production cycle.
“In accordance with the agreements reached between the parties, Sergiy was not involved either in negotiations with partners regarding S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 or in the actual development of the game throughout its full production cycle,” the statement reads. “We have always fully honored these agreements on our side. For this reason, his comments regarding the company’s activities cannot be considered an accurate reflection of the actual state of affairs.”
The studio also alluded to the extraordinary geopolitical challenges it faced during development, noting that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 became “one of the most challenging projects in the history of the video game industry.” It stressed that the game’s story “should be based on facts, not on assumptions or subjective opinions,” and urged that public statements from the founder should not distract from what truly matters to the team today.
And what does matter? GSC Game World is currently putting the finishing touches on a significant update for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, alongside its first large-scale story DLC—Cost of Hope. Just last month, the studio released a new trailer for the expansion, showcasing companions Zulu and Makva, as well as new regions including the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, a power station, a park of withered trees, and a gravity-defying room that promises to be a trip.
For those unfamiliar, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an open-world shooter set in a 64-square-kilometer Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Players step into the boots of a stalker, navigating a world filled with diverse characters, rival factions, and deadly mutants. It launched for PC and Xbox Series X/S in November 2024, followed by a PS5 release in November 2025.
Our review of the PS5 version praised the game’s excellent emergent gameplay and strong use of console hardware features, while noting outdated mission design and rough NPC animations as areas for improvement. With a major update and story DLC on the horizon, now might be the perfect time to revisit the Zone—or dive in for the first time.
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