Exclusive: Blockbuster Xbox Game Pass Title Delayed Until 2024 – Shocking News!

Highlights

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl, the fourth game in the franchise, has been delayed to 2024, disappointing fans who have been waiting for 14 years.

The game is getting close to completion and is now set for a Q1 2024 release, as stated in the official fact sheet. The delay seems to be for fine-tuning reasons and doesn't imply any significant development issues, especially considering that the game was playable at Gamescom 2023.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl has received another setback, moving its release date to 2024 and dealing a blow to the holiday season lineup of Xbox Game Pass. This latest delay follows the game's troubled development history, coming less than a year after GSC Game World reassured fans that STALKER 2 was still targeting a 2023 release.

Originally announced in 2021, STALKER 2 is the fourth game in the STALKER franchise. Initially planned for an April 2022 release, GSC later postponed it by eight months due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which forced the company to relocate from Kyiv to Prague. Despite this delay potentially improving the Xbox Game Pass lineup for the 2022 holiday season, STALKER 2 missed its December 8 release date and was subsequently postponed to 2023.

STALKER 2 has been delayed until 2024, according to the latest version of its official fact sheet. This news might disappoint fans who have eagerly awaited another installment in the franchise for the past 14 years. However, there is some reassurance in the fact that the delay seems relatively minimal, suggesting that the project is nearing completion. The updated fact sheet reveals that STALKER 2 is now scheduled for a Q1 2024 release. Despite the delay, GSC is still accepting digital pre-orders for the first-person RPG through Steam and GOG. Additionally, fans can still place advanced orders for physical copies via the game's official website.

The Ukrainian studio did not provide a specific release date for STALKER 2 after its previous delay. However, recent listings from retailers have hinted at a potential debut on December 1, 2023. If this date is accurate and not simply a temporary placeholder, the delay is likely due to the studio's desire to polish the game and not indicative of major development issues. Furthermore, the fact that GSC showcased a playable version of STALKER 2 at Gamescom 2023 in Cologne, Germany suggests that the game's release is imminent.

While this delay may impact the Xbox Game Pass holiday lineup for 2023, Microsoft's subscription service is still expected to have a strong lineup of releases in the final months of the year. In fact, highly anticipated titles such as Starfield and Forza Motorsport are scheduled for day one releases on Xbox Game Pass in the upcoming weeks.

However, it's worth noting that STALKER 2 isn't the sole title on Xbox Game Pass facing a delay on its day of release. Another game affected by this setback is the indie cyberpunk platformer Replaced, which has now been postponed to 2024. STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl is set to release in Q1 2024 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.

Source: STALKER 2, Wccftech