GSC Game World has revealed that it was hacked by a group on a Russian social network that threatened to leak data from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
This information was published by user Vestnik TSS on VK and confirmed by GSC Game World. If you’re interested in GSC Game World games, you can check out our other articles here.
GSC Game World hacked by Russian community, STALKER 2 data leaked?
On social media called VK, a post appeared from “one of the most established communities within the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. community” supported by Russian fans who were unhappy with some of the decisions that had been made by GSC Game World.
In the post, it is claimed that this community has 30 GB of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl data and will leak the content on March 15, 2023, if certain demands are not met.
Through the post, this group of Russian “hackers” who go by the name “Vestnik TSS” shared a series of development images from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl that have been in production for over a decade.
Basically, the group wants GSC Game World to “rethink its attitude towards players from Belarus and Russia” and reintroduce Russian localization in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
In addition, there was also a community-generated request addressed to GSC Game World’s Discord server. In this demand, the hacker suggested that GSC Game World unban a user named “NF Star”.
GSC Game World response
On Twitter, GSC Game World has posted a statement about the hack and explained what happened. They have also been facing cyberattacks since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Recently, our employee account for the co-working app with images was hacked. The party responsible for this was claimed by a community from a Russian social network. They threatened to use the obtained data for blackmail and intimidation.
This is not the first attempt to hack and leak our data, including personal information. We’ve been experiencing persistent cyberattacks for more than a year. We have faced extortion, acts of aggression, hacking, attempts to harm players and fans, and attempts to damage our development process or company reputation.
GSC Game World
GSC Game World also asked fans to “refrain from watching or spreading information” about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl if it was leaked. The studio said that the outdated, work-in-progress material does not represent their final product.
In another part of the statement, GSC Game World reiterated its “unwavering commitment to supporting” Ukraine and added that “attempts to blackmail or intimidate us are completely pointless”.
Finally, the team expressed its appreciation for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl community and ended by saying, “Your support is our inspiration.”
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will release on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG) in 2023.