S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is powered by Epic’s Unreal Engine

GSC Game World has confirmed via a Tweet that their highly-anticipated sequel S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is made with the help of the Unreal Engine. Since this engine is owned by Epic, the developer preemptively stated that the use of it does not mean the game will be an Epic Games Store exclusive, or at least, they did not want to comment on it at the moment.

The return of one of the most legendary PC shooters of all time is slowly inching closer. After a decade of silence, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series has received a much-deserved rejuvenation by way of a real sequel. Developed by the original Ukrainian studio GSC Game World, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has no release date yet but the developers have teased 2021 after announcing it in 2018.

To be fair, the wait for it has been much longer. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was originally announced way back in 2010 but financial troubles led to the studio dissolve and the game be canceled. Only after the studio was reopened in 2014 new talent was hired and the game resumed development once again. The name may be the same but the make-up of GSC Game World is a different one today. With no footage shown as of now, it’s hard to say how different the game will be but here’s to hoping the essence of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy will be kept intact.

Seeing how the development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and the history of GSC Game World has gone through serious troubles, the news of the developer opting for a ready-to-use engine makes sense. Even if a lot of the charm of the prior games was the proprietary engine, it’s the game that matters, not the tools. The choice of the Unreal Engine might ring a couple of bells, as it is owned by Epic. With Epic heavily pushing their PC storefront, GSC felt the need to simultaneously state that the usage of the Unreal Engine does not mean the game will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store. But they also didn’t flat-out refuse it. Instead, the developer says they will talk about that in the future.