STALKER CEO on Cost of Hope: ‘This Project is One Million Times Beyond Entertainment’
GSC Game World has unveiled Cost of Hope, the first major story expansion for STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The DLC promises to deliver dozens of hours of new content, introduce massive new zones, and feature a faction war between two iconic STALKER organizations. At the BAFTA Games Awards, CEO Ievgen Grygorovych and Creative Director Maria Grygorovych discussed the expansion’s development. The studio emphasized that the project extends far beyond typical video game entertainment, with particular reference to its significance in broader context. GSC Game World was significantly impacted by Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the team has continued its development efforts despite these challenges. The expansion reflects the studio’s commitment to advancing the STALKER franchise following the successful 2024 launch of Heart of Chornobyl. The developers’ nomination for the ‘Game Beyond Entertainment’ award at BAFTA underscores their perspective that the project carries cultural and thematic weight beyond standard gaming entertainment.