Developer GSC Game World today announced via Twitter that STALKER 2 will be using Unreal Engine 4, as it was “the most suitable choice”. The developer stated that the announcement has nothing to do with the supported platforms or digital stores that will sell the game.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is powered by Unreal Engine: pic.twitter.com/RdDWr4yYj3
— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) January 2, 2020
“The previous games, which are several years old at this point, used the proprietary X-Ray Engine that allowed them to stand out visually at the time, with stunning lighting, shadows, and weather, but it seems that Unreal will make things simpler for the devs.”
The STALKER series is based on the Chernobyl nuclear disaster from 1986, the first game in the series, STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, is inspired by a Russian novel called Roadside Picnic. Moreover, a movie called Stalker from 1979 served as inspiration for the creators of the game. Shadow of Chernobyl tells the story of a fictional second explosion in a reactor in the year 2006, which created ‘The Zone’—a dangerous place that is filled with mutated creatures and radiation.
STALKER games have some plot twists; players will encounter supernatural events inside the Nuclear Exclusion Zone. In addition, Stalkers, which are illegal hunters and scavengers, will roam around The Zone.
The developer followed with two more titles, STALKER: Clear Sky in 2008 and STALKER: Call of Pripyat in 2010. Both shared the success of the original title. A true sequel was in the plans of GSC Game World featuring an upgraded version of the X-Ray Engine, but was cancelled due to financial problems and the dissolution of GSC Game World.
In 2014, GSC Game World reopened and started the development of projects unrelated to STALKER. In 2018, GSC Game World released the STALKER 2 website, announcing a release date of 2021.
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Source—Gamespot
