If you were hoping to get your hands on Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl this April 28th, I'm afraid I have somewhat bad news to deliver. According to the newest developer update, the post-apocalyptic survival-horror has now been pushed back to December 8th, 2022.

"These additional seven months of development are needed to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game," reads the brief update. "Stalker 2 is the biggest project in the history of GSC, and it requires thorough testing and polishing. We are convinced that development should take as long as necessary, especially in the case of such a project."

"This decision is not an easy one, but we are doing the best possible to deliver you a game that can live up to the expectations. With more information, updates and showcases coming, we have an exciting and important year ahead."

Considering how janky the previous Stalker games were, even after numerous fan patches, I can only view this sort of delay as a positive. So with a bit of luck Stalker 2 will not only manage to impress with its own quality, but also live up to series' now-legendary legacy.

However it all pans out, I'll make sure to let you know once we're closer to launch. Until then, you can read a few more tidbits about Stalker 2 over at the official website.