Baldur's Gate 3 dev says Stalker 2's commercial success is proof of a "seismic shift behind so much" and players are "hungry for hyper-engaging, focused experiences"

2024-11-22

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(Image credit: GSC Game World)

Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl

Stalker 2’s publisher, GSC World, recently announced “a million copies were sold” since launch, not to mention “much more stalkers” playing on Game Pass. All in all, it’s a tremendous success for a game facing the unprecedented headwinds that Stalker has with the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Douse took to Twitter in the wake of Stalker 2’s release to explain his perspective on its success, saying there’s been a “seismic” and silent shift in what players want from games.

“People are more hungry for hyper-engaging, focused experiences than they are shiny prepped up retail product and this is the underlying seismic shift behind so much, and nobody is talking about it,” Douse said. “The increased prominence of digital over retail and the ability to access audiences directly is a threat traditional publishers cannot keep up with.”

People are more hungry for hyper-engaging, focused experiences than they are shiny prepped up retail product and this is the underlying seismic shift behind so much, and nobody is talking about it. The increased prominence of digital over retail and the ability to access… https://t.co/oJI1T5gaA6November 22, 2024

Douse has been extremely outspoken about other releases and the state of the industry generally, making headlines back in April forproclaiming “marketing’s dead” because players don’t want to be “bamboozled,“and again in August whenhe backed Fallout: New Vegas director Josh Sawyer’s idea for his dream RPG, and again in September whenhe called Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii’s quick turnaround “genius sh*t,“and again in October when he saidif Ubisoft wants “subs over sales” then “developers must get used to not having jobs,“and again… well, you get the point. Dude says a lot of stuff.

After a lengthy and, again, troubled development cycle, Stalker 2 finally launched this week to largely positive reviews. The most prevailing criticism of the game is its lackluster performance, withour verdictreading “the best but most broken game I’ve played all year.” All in all, it sounds like the actual meat of the game is survival horror FPS nirvana; it’s just buggy, which isn’t the worst way a game has ever been received.

Stalker 2 is secretly a spiritual successor to Fallout: New Vegas, and after 45 hours in The Zone I’m ready to die on this irradiated hill.

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