The release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 on November 20 was a significant event for GSC Game World. More than 470 professionals created the game, and the development budget reached several tens of millions of dollars. In an interview with Forbes Ukraine, company owner investor Maksym Krippa shared details about the challenges the team faced and the project’s key achievements.

Maksym Krippa emphasized that the team tried to preserve the spirit and atmosphere of the original series as much as possible by integrating modern technologies and the latest game elements. Numerous difficulties accompanied the development process, but the final result exceeded the expectations of both players and creators.

The franchise’s founders, Eugene and Maria Grigorovich, played a key role in creating the game. They took responsibility for the creative component and strategic direction of the project, which allowed them to preserve the series’ branded atmosphere and give it a new impetus for development.

When investor Maksym Krippa became part of GSC Game World in 2020, the company’s staff consisted of only 65 people. In four years, the team has grown sevenfold—currently, about 470 specialists are working on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, 270 of whom are located in Ukraine, and the rest are working abroad. This was made possible thanks to the management’s belief in the project and dedication.

He noted that the costs of creating the game were covered within the first 36 hours after launch—at that time, more than a million copies were sold. Demand far exceeded forecasts, demonstrating the audience’s high interest in the game.

The project also gained significant success on streaming platforms. In November, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2‘s Twitch streams garnered over 20 million hours of viewing, which once again confirmed the game’s status as one of the year’s most anticipated releases.

Maksym Krippa noted that the timely release of the game was made possible by the perseverance and well-coordinated work of the team, which sought to avoid burnout and maintain a high level of motivation. The main goal was to create a game that met the fans’ expectations. “You can fix technical errors, but you can’t fix the lack of quality gameplay“, he summarized.