GSC Game World, the studio behind the upcoming title Stalker 2, has officially refuted claims made by its former founder, Sergiy Grygorovych. Grygorovych, who departed GSC Game World in 2023, had stated that Xbox paid more for the game's exclusivity than the title cost to develop, suggesting the deal was profitable before its release.
In comments reportedly made in an interview with YouTuber OLDboi and machine-translated from Ukrainian, Grygorovych alleged that the exclusivity arrangement with Xbox provided GSC Game World with funds exceeding the development expenses for Stalker 2. He further claimed that Microsoft initiated this deal after being impressed by the game's initial trailer, stating "It paid for itself before the first day."
GSC Game World issued a statement to IGN addressing these assertions, asserting that Grygorovych's statements "do not reflect the actual facts." The studio explained its decision to break a prolonged silence on Grygorovych's public remarks, noting that continued quiet could be misconstrued as validation of inaccurate information. "In particular, his recent claims, including his statements regarding the relationship between Stalker 2 and the Xbox teams, do not reflect the actual facts," the statement read. "In accordance with the agreements reached between the parties, Sergiy was not involved either in negotiations with partners regarding Stalker 2 or in the actual development of the game throughout its full production cycle."
The studio emphasized that Grygorovych's comments cannot be considered an accurate representation of the company's activities due to his lack of involvement in negotiations and development during the game's full production cycle. GSC Game World also clarified that the majority of Stalker 2's development budget was financed by the current owner, Ukrainian entrepreneur Max Krippa.
Currently, the development team is focused on preparing a substantial update for Stalker 2, along with its first major story-driven downloadable content. This follows a period where the base game has received numerous updates and fixes since its initial release.