Xbox’s exclusive rights to a massively anticipated title is ultimately shorter than some may have expected.STALKER 2,announced as a limited-time Xbox console exclusive, has been confirmed to only be remaining on the console for a matter of months before heading onto other platforms. This move gives Microsoft’s console a short term edge in attracting die-hard fans of the cult classicSTALKERseries, while not harshly punishing those fans on its native PC platform.
Currently, there are no details concerning if the PlayStation 5 will receive a port ofSTALKER 2,though prior statements by GSC Game World, developer of the STALKER series, have already confirmed there will beno release ofSTALKER 2on last-generation consoles due to performance restraints. It is confirmed the title will come to PC, likely through the Xbox storefront. There are no details regarding a Steam release.
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The window of exclusivity is a relatively paltry three months, with the added caveat that this period of time will be console exclusive. The vague wording raises questions about STALKER remaining an Xbox-exclusive title as it heads to PC at the start of 2022, three months afterSTALKER 2’s projected Q4 2021 release date. TheSTALKERseries, started in 2007 withSTALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, has exclusively been on PC for the entirety of its lifespan.
As the fourth installment in the vaunted series,STALKERhas a dedicated fan base who follow the series' utterly miserable horror setting, based in the Zone, a reflection of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, where the radiation-soaked concrete of the infamous nuclear power plant has become host to an array of alien artifacts, mysterious anomalies, and deadly mutated creatures. While the original titles certainly show their age graphically, the new installment seems set to push the boat out and providea clean slate after theSTALKERseries' decade long interim.
Microsoft’s increasingly successful Game Pass initiative will, as with all other Xbox exclusives, receiveSTALKER 2as soon as the title releases- giving those on the service access to the full title for the subscription price. While the Xbox Series X is still trailing the PS5 in terms of units sold, Microsoft’s PC empire continues to grow alongside the American giant’s Game Pass catalog.
The short-term exclusivity ofSTALKER 2on the Xbox Series X is likely to give the Microsoft flagship a boost heading into the festive season, while the availability of Game Pass will give both console and PC players a cheap way to access the game. After such a long wait for die-hard fans, this access alongsidepotential access to game-expanding mods for console playerscould leave both veteran and initiate scavengers left with plenty to do in the Zone for a relatively low price for a new release.
STALKER 2is releasing on the Xbox Series X in Q4 2021, with a PC release coming Q1 2022.
