The highly anticipated survival horror shooter, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, achieved phenomenal success in its home country, Ukraine, causing a significant nationwide internet slowdown. This article delves into the game's launch and the developers' reaction to this unprecedented event.

A Nation Enters The Zone

The game's popularity overwhelmed Ukraine's internet infrastructure on its November 20th release date. Major internet providers, Tenet and Triolan, reported a dramatic drop in internet speeds during the evening, directly attributed to the massive number of simultaneous downloads. Triolan's Telegram statement, as translated, cited "increased load on the channels due to the massive interest in the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R." as the cause.

Even after successful downloads, many players encountered login and loading issues. The internet disruption lasted for hours before resolving. GSC Game World, the developers, expressed both pride and surprise at this outcome.

Creative director Mariia Grygorovych commented, "It was challenging for the entire country, and the internet disruption is certainly a negative, but at the same time, it's amazing!" She emphasized the positive impact, stating, "For our team, the most important thing is that we brought a bit of joy to people in Ukraine. We achieved something positive for our homeland."

The game's popularity is undeniable. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 sold an impressive 1 million copies within just two days of its release, despite acknowledged performance issues and bugs. This success was particularly significant in Ukraine.

GSC Game World, a Ukrainian studio operating from Kyiv and Prague, faced challenges in releasing the game due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which caused multiple launch delays. Despite these obstacles, the November release demonstrated their commitment. The studio continues to release updates addressing bugs, optimizing performance, and implementing crash fixes, with a third major patch released recently.