The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has left much of the world upended — whether on a humanitarian level or a financial one — since it officially began on February 24. The conflict has even impacted the video game industry in palpable ways, which became clear when the developer ofSTALKERand its upcoming sequel,GSC Game World fled from Ukraine to the Czech Republic.
Many game companies have rallied to show support for Ukraine, releasing special DLC or game bundles whose proceeds support assistance efforts in the besieged country. But opposition to the war has come in the form of more subtle protests as well. For example, in March, GSCchanged the title of its upcoming game fromSTALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl, the more familiar Russian spelling, toHeart of Chornobyl, which reflects the Ukrainian spelling.
RELATED:STALKER 2 Resumes Development
Not everybody sees the situation in Ukraine from the same point of view, however. Recently, a Russian streamer going by the names “Nevazhno, Kto” and “Velichaishii” leaked footage of an apparent console port of the originalSTALKER,which will supposedly release right beforeSTALKER 2in 2023. Along with the leaked footage, Velichaishii wrote a five-page manifesto of sorts in which he declared that GSC has betrayed its Russian fans.
According to the Russian content creator, his actions are retaliation for alleged offenses committed by the Ukrainian developer. Foremost among his complaints is the fact that GSC encouraged gamers, including Russians, to donate to Ukraine’s Come Back Alive Foundation, which provides defensive equipment and training to the country’s military. Aiding the Ukrainian army is a criminal offense in Russia, and the developer did not make this clear when soliciting donations from fans, claims Velichaishii. The streamer also states that GSC has discriminated against Russians on its Discord server.
PC Gamer reached out to both GSC Game World and Velichaishii for comments on the situation. The developer pointed out that it is only one of thousands ofUkrainian companies to ask for donations to aid the country, and it also later clarified the potential legal implications for Russians who give to the foundation.
As for the provenance of the leakedSTALKERfootage, Velichaishii implied in his manifesto that it had come from GSC employees who were disgruntled with how the company was treating its Russian player base. The developer denied this possibility, stating that a group of Russian bloggers had been sharing information about GSC, including employee details and apparently this leaked console port video.
Oddly, Velichaishii did not seem to take offense at theSTALKERdevelopers fighting in Ukraineas part of the country’s Armed Forces. In June, GSC Game World released a video that showed some employees in military gear as they prepared for their new roles as soldiers. Whether the leakedSTALKERfootage is real or fabricated, it is likely the least of the developer’s worries at the moment.
MORE:STALKER 2: What is a Stalker?
