S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

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This article is about the game series. For the first game, see S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:
Shadow of Chernobyl. For the film by Andrei Tarkovsky, see Stalker (1979 film). For
the television series, see Stalker (TV series).
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise logo.png
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Survival horror
Developer(s) GSC Game World
Publisher(s)
EU: Deep Silver
CIS: GSC World Publishing
NA: THQ
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
First release Shadow of Chernobyl
20 March 2007
Latest release Call of Pripyat
2 October 2009
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (Scavengers, Trespassers, Adventurers, Loners, Killers, Explorers
and Robbers) is a series of first-person shooter survival horror video games
developed by Ukrainian video game developer GSC Game World for Microsoft Windows.
The games are set in the area surrounding the Chernobyl disaster site, colloquially
known as the Zone, in an alternative reality where a second explosion occurs at the
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant some time after the first and causes strange changes
in the area around it.

Contents
1 Setting
2 Plot
2.1 Shadow of Chernobyl (2007)
2.2 Clear Sky (2008)
2.3 Call of Pripyat (2009)
3 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
4 Related games
5 Reception
6 References
7 External links
Setting
Timeline of releases
2007 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
2008 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
2009 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

Attendees of fan festival Stalker-Fest 2009

Based loosely on the novel Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky and its
film adaptation Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky,[1] the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games take place
within the Zone, an alternate history version of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. In
the world of the games, experimental labs were made in the Exclusion Zone which
allowed scientists to experiment with psychic abilities which arose following the
disaster. Their experimentation resulted in a second disaster, causing physical and
meteorological phenomena to manifest throughout the Zone, as well as the mutation
of fauna and some humans.[2] The Zone is littered with such anomalies: hazardous
entities which seemingly defy physics, having various effects on any object
entering them.[3]

Anomalies also often produce items known as artifacts, objects with special
physical properties such as anti-gravity, or absorbing radiation.[4] People known
as stalkers enter the Zone in hopes of finding such items for personal financial
gain. While a great number of stalkers work alone, various factions populate the
Zone, each with their own philosophies and goals. For example, the Duty faction
believe that the Zone is the greatest threat to humanity on the planet and are
intent on destroying it by any means possible; by contrast, the Freedom faction
believe the Zone should be accessible to all.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine maintain a cordon around the Zone, attempting to
prevent any unauthorised personnel from entering. Additionally, Ukrainian Spetsnaz
units conduct special operations within the Zone such as surgical strikes on
stalkers or to secure specific targets. Other hostile entities within the Zone
include humans and other creatures mutated following the two disasters, many of
them possessing aggressive psionic abilities.

The protagonists of each game have their own goals separate to those of the various
factions, however they are presented opportunities to aid in the plans of others.
Generally, the ultimate objective of each game involves reaching the centre of the
Zone, a task complicated by the various threats and hazards present therein.

Plot
Shadow of Chernobyl (2007)
Main article: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
In the first game of the series, the player takes on the role of an amnesiac
stalker referred to as the "Marked One", who is tasked with killing another stalker
named Strelok. During the course of the game, the protagonist uncovers clues to his
past and true identity while helping other stalkers and fighting the mutated
creatures that inhabit the Zone. Shadow of Chernobyl features multiple endings, all
of which are dependent on multiple controllable factors, such as money earned
during the game, or how much of the protagonist's memory was pieced together.

Clear Sky (2008)

Main article: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
Clear Sky, the second game released of the series, is a prequel to Shadow of
Chernobyl. The player assumes the role of Scar, a veteran mercenary. The lone
survivor following a huge energy emission he was caught in while guiding a group of
scientists through the Zone, he is rescued by and works with Clear Sky, a faction
dedicated to researching and understanding the nature of the Zone.[5] Throughout
the game, the player can choose to have Scar side with or against certain factions
in the area to help achieve Clear Sky's goal.

Call of Pripyat (2009)

Main article: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
The third game in the series, Call of Pripyat takes place shortly after the events
of Shadow of Chernobyl. Having discovered the open path to the center of the Zone,
the government decides to take control of it via "Operation Fairway", in which they
plan to thoroughly investigate the territory before dispatching the main military
force. Despite these preparations, the military operation fails, with all
helicopters crashing. In order to determine the cause of the crashes, the Security
Service of Ukraine sends former stalker Major Degtyarev into the Zone.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was announced in August 2010, with a release date scheduled for
2012.[6] Sergiy Grygorovych, CEO of GSC Game World, specified that the video game
featured a completely new multi-platform engine, written by GSC itself.[7] On 23
December 2011, GSC Game World announced they would be continuing development of
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, despite an earlier announcement pointing to its cancellation.[8]
However, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was cancelled yet again by GSC Game World through a
Twitter post on 25 April 2012.[9]

Development of a new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was announced on 15 May 2018 with a post on

the Cossacks 3 Facebook page.[10] The post links to a site[11] that displays the
text "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.2 2.0.2.1", implying a planned release year of 2021 powered by
the Unreal Engine 4.[12] In May 2018, Sergey Galyonkin, the creator of Steam Spy,
tweeted that GSC Game World would create a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, using Unreal Engine 4.
[13] Shortly the GSC website mentioned that the company was working on
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and a teaser website appeared mentioning the release date of
2021.[14] It was suggested that the game was still in the design phase, and was
announced just before E3 2018 so it could find a publisher.[15]

Related games
Metro, another series of Ukrainian first-person shooter games based on Russian
post-apocalyptic science fiction literature, was created by some ex-members of
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. development team who have left to form 4A Games in 2006 before the
release of Shadows of Chernobyl.

The former S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 team opened a new studio, Vostok Games, in 2012. In
2015, they released a free-to-play massively multiplayer online first-person
shooter game titled Survarium in the spirit of the franchise, using ideas they
created for the cancelled sequel.[16] Their new project is a battle royale game set
in Chernobyl, titled Fear the Wolves.

In 2014, West-Games, which claimed to be composed of former S.T.A.L.K.E.R. core

developers (according to both GSC Game World[17] and Vostok Games,[18] falsely)
launched a Kickstarter campaign for a spiritual successor to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. called
first Areal[19] and then STALKER Apocalypse. While it managed to reach its goal of
$50,000, multiple concerns were raised throughout the campaign about the project
being a possible scam, and Kickstarter eventually suspended the campaign two days
before its deadline, for undisclosed reasons.