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 due to the sheer volume of simultaneous downloads.
A Nation Enters the Zone
The game's November 20th launch overwhelmed Ukrainian internet infrastructure. Providers Tenet and Triolan reported normal daytime speeds plummeting in the evening, attributing the issue to the massive influx of players downloading the game concurrently. Triolan's Telegram announcement, as translated by ITC, 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 experienced slow login times and server lag. The internet disruption lasted for hours before resolving as downloads completed. GSC Game World, the developer, expressed both pride and surprise at this unprecedented 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 added, "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."
The game's popularity is undeniable, with over 1 million copies sold within just two days of release. Despite reported performance issues and bugs, sales were exceptionally strong globally, particularly in Ukraine.
GSC Game World, a Ukrainian studio with offices in Kyiv and Prague, faced numerous challenges bringing the game to market, including delays caused by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Despite these obstacles, the November release demonstrated the studio's dedication. GSC remains committed to addressing bugs and optimizing performance, recently releasing its third major patch.
