S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Still On the Way, Just Not in 2012

Beleagured developer GSC Game World has confirmed that work continues on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, though the game will no longer be finished in time for its intended 2012 launch.

"Stalker 2 is still in development, yes. However a 2012 release is not possible," the developer tweeted earlier today.

Last December, rumors began to swirl that GSC CEO Sergei Grigorovich had decided to shutter the studio in the wake of continued financial problems and the threat of a takeover by the Ukranian government. In the months since, there's been remarkably little news out of the studio, save for a third-party report from January that claimed they were seeking investors and the occasional confirmation that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is still in development.

When questioned about this silence, the franchise Twitter account responded with this rather cryptic statement: "There are legal reasons why we have not made an "official" statement. But Stalker 2 development continues."

Exactly what that means is anyone's guess, but it certainly doesn't sound like things are entirely rosy for GSC Game World at the moment, even if they've managed to keep up work on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 for the last three months.