Epic Games battle against Apple begins today. While this wouldn’t necessarily be of much interest to us until there’s a decision, some of the supporting documents being filed in the case are throwing up interesting tidbits. In a Microsoft Executive Portfolio Update submitted to the court, the platform holder revealed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will only be exclusive to the Xbox Series X/S for three months. This leaves the door open for a potential release on PlayStation 5.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was announced for PC back in 2010, although it took another eight years for the game to reappear in the form of an official website. Unfortunately the title was then confirmed to be a “console launch exclusive” to Xbox Series X/S during Microsoft’s Games Showcase in 2020. The court document has now revealed that exclusivity period will last just three months.
In an interview with The Gamer, developer GSC Game World’s PR manager Zakhar Bocharov explained the studio didn’t want to be limited by last-gen hardware. This means that it’s “impossible to run it on PS4 and Xbox One”. When the exclusivity period ends, this means the PlayStation 5 remains one of the top candidates for a later console release.
The game will have a “unique blend of first-person shooter, immersive sim and horror“. Set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, players will have to deal with “one of the biggest open-worlds to date”. Thanks to the massive dose of radiation the area received after the nuclear accident, the environment is full of dangerous mutants and anomalies. However, there’s also “artifacts of unbelievable value” to find, and player choices throughout the game as they balance risk with reward will shape the game’s story and unlock one of multiple endings.
When the game was unveiled for Xbox, it came with a release window of 2021. The developer is not yet ready to confirm anything more specific, but any potential PS5 release will follow at least three months after the game’s debut on other platforms.
[Source: Court Listener, The Gamer]
