S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Release Overwhelms Ukrainian Internet with High Demand

The launch of the survival horror shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was nothing short of a phenomenon in Ukraine, where it led to a nationwide internet slowdown due to its immense popularity. Dive deeper into the details of this unprecedented event and hear directly from the developers about their experiences and insights.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Takes Over Ukraine's Internet

On its launch day, November 20th, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 caused significant disruptions to Ukraine's internet infrastructure. Internet providers Tenet and Triolan, via their official Telegram channels, reported normal internet speeds during the day, but a noticeable drop by evening. This slowdown was directly linked to the massive influx of Ukrainian gamers eager to download the game. Triolan specifically noted, "Currently, there is a temporary decrease in Internet speed in all directions. This is due to the increased load on the channels due to the massive interest in the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R."

Even after downloading the game, many players encountered slow login times and other performance issues, which persisted for hours until all interested gamers successfully downloaded their copies. In response to this unexpected impact, GSC Game World, the game's developer, expressed a mix of pride and astonishment.

"It was hard for the whole country and it's a bad thing because the internet is important, but at the same time it's like whoa!" said creative director Mariia Grygorovych. She added, "For us and our team what's most important is, for some people in Ukraine, they feel a little bit happier than they were before release. We did something for our home country, something good for them."

The overwhelming popularity of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is evident from its sales figures, with the game selling 1 million copies globally within just two days of its release. Despite facing criticism for performance issues and bugs, the game's reception has been strong, especially in Ukraine.

GSC Game World, a Ukrainian studio operating from offices in Kyiv and Prague, faced significant challenges due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which delayed the game's launch multiple times. However, the studio was resolute in its decision to release the game in November without further delays. They are currently focused on improving the game through regular update patches, with the third major patch released earlier this week to address bugs, optimize performance, and fix crashes.