STALKER 2 Dev Refutes Claims About Xbox's Funding for Timed Exclusivity 1

Update []: Developer GSC Game World has released a statement about the recent claims regarding its timed exclusivity deal with Xbox.

As outlined below, founder of the studio Sergiy Grygorovych said (via translation) that Xbox paid a sum higher than the entire development cost of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl in order to secure it as a console exclusive for one year.

Now, the studio has come out and said this is not factual.

"In accordance with the agreements reached between the parties, Sergiy was not involved either in negotiations with partners regarding S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 or in the actual development of the game throughout its full production cycle," the team said in a statement to Insider Gaming.

Subscribe to Push Square on YouTube171k

"We have always fully honored these agreements on our side. For this reason, his comments regarding the company's activities cannot be considered an accurate reflection of the actual state of affairs."

According to GSC Game World, the studio's owner, Max Krippa, provided "the majority of the development budget."

"The development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 became one of the most challenging projects in the history of the video game industry," the statement says. "We believe the story of this game should be based on facts, not on assumptions or subjective opinions."

Original Story: An interesting detail has emerged about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl and its timed-exclusive launch on Xbox.

Sergiy Grygorovych, founder of developer GSC Game World, spoke about how that deal came to be in a recent video interview.

While he doesn't divulge any numbers, he says that Xbox paid a lofty sum to have the game as a console exclusive for 12 months. In fact, the amount was higher than the development cost of the game itself, meaning it was profitable before it even launched.

"We took more than the cost of Stalker 2," Grygorovych says via translation. "It paid for itself before the first day."

Apparently, Xbox was so keen to net the game because of how well its trailer performed on YouTube. Indeed, some older videos have several million views.

"They brought in all the documents for signing in about a week," he said.

Ultimately, Stalker 2 ended up on PS5 exactly one year after its initial release.

It sounds like a win-win scenario for GSC Game World; recouping your production costs immediately before you've sold a single copy sounds like a great place to be in.

It should be noted that Sony is no stranger to paying for timed exclusives, and I imagine it too hands over a lot of money to make those deals happen.

However, this is the first time I've heard a dev say a platform has paid more than its entire budget in exchange for limited-time exclusivity. It makes me wonder if it's happened with anything else.

Fascinating, anyway. Are you a fan of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl? Tell us in the comments section below.

[source youtube.com, via insider-gaming.com, insider-gaming.com, eurogamer.net]