S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2's Popularity Crumbles Ukraine's Internet

The survival horror shooter, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, proved incredibly popular in its native Ukraine, causing a significant nationwide internet slowdown. Read on for details on the game's launch and the developers' reaction.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Overwhelms Ukraine's Internet Infrastructure

A Nation Enters The Zone

The massive popularity of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 led to a temporary internet outage across Ukraine. On November 20th, launch day, internet providers Tenet and Triolan reported significantly reduced speeds in the evening, attributing the issue to the simultaneous downloads by thousands of Ukrainian players. As reported by ITC, Triolan stated the slowdown was due to "increased load on the channels due to the massive interest in the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R."

Even after successful downloads, many players experienced login and loading difficulties. The internet disruption lasted for several hours before resolving as players completed their downloads. The developers at GSC Game World expressed both pride and surprise at the event.

"It was difficult for the whole country, and it's a negative consequence because internet access is crucial, but at the same time, it's amazing!" commented creative director Mariia Grygorovych. "For our team, the most important thing is that we brought a little joy to people in Ukraine," she added. "We achieved something positive for our homeland."

This overwhelming popularity resulted in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 selling an impressive 1 million copies within just two days of its release. Despite performance issues and bugs, the game's sales were exceptionally strong globally, particularly in Ukraine.

GSC Game World, a Ukrainian studio operating from Kyiv and Prague, faced challenges in releasing the game due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which caused multiple launch delays. However, the studio remained committed to its release date, launching the game in November. GSC Game World continues to release updates to address bugs, optimize performance, and fix crashes, with a third major patch recently deployed.