The survival horror shooter, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, proved so popular in its native Ukraine that its launch caused a nationwide internet slowdown. Let's delve into the details of this remarkable launch and hear from the developers themselves.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Ukraine's Internet Overload
On November 20th, the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 overwhelmed Ukraine's internet infrastructure. Internet providers Tenet and Triolan reported normal daytime speeds, but a significant drop in the evening, directly attributed to the massive number of simultaneous downloads. Triolan's Telegram announcement (translated by ITC) stated, "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, many players experienced slow login times. The internet slowdown lasted for hours before resolving as players completed their downloads. GSC Game World, the developers, expressed both pride and surprise at this event.
Creative director Mariia Grygorovych shared, "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!" She continued, "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."
Underscoring its popularity, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 sold an impressive 1 million copies within just two days of its release. Despite performance issues and bugs, the game performed exceptionally well globally, particularly in Ukraine.
GSC Game World, a Ukrainian studio with offices in Kyiv and Prague, faced challenges bringing the game to market. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine caused multiple launch delays, but the team persevered, releasing the game in November. They remain committed to addressing bugs and optimizing the game, with a third major patch released earlier this week.
