Stalker 2 developer's latest setback is a fire gutting a third of its office, but it insists the team's 'dealt with worse than that before'

(Image credit: GSC Game World)

As reported by Czech publication Vortex, on September 7, Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World suffered a fire at the Prague office it moved into last year following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. GSC Game World employees have stated that no one was hurt in the incident, but one of the three floors occupied by the dev sustained heavy damage and requires "full restoration."

Vortex reports that the other two floors used by GSC Game World were undamaged by the fire, but that the damaged floor may have been where the developer stored its backup servers. A GSC Game World representative confirmed that the fire occurred and stated that the incident was under investigation.

This was echoed by another GSC Game World employee with the handle Mol1t on the official Stalker Discord channel. Mol1t's full message is as follows:

"It is true. Fortunately, none of the employees or office staff were injured in the accident.

A fire broke out in our office in Prague on Thursday. Even though the fire was successfully put out, one of the office floors now requires a full restoration. Further details of the accident are still being investigated.

We express our deepest appreciation for your questions and the words of support we have been receiving.

No anomaly, not even a "Burner", will make us stop in our pursuit of our final goal. We've dealt with worse than that before. This is fine."

GSC employee corroborating reports of a fire at company headquarters — (Image credit: GSC Game World via Discord)

GSC Game World really can't catch a break. The studio relocated to Prague from Kyiv in the first place to continue working on Stalker 2 after the Russian invasion. It's since weathered multiple major hacks and leaks, seemingly originating from disgruntled Russian fans of its games.

GSC Game World recently announced that Stalker 2 was delayed into early next year, and it's not yet clear if this office fire will delay release even further. Despite all those hardships and setbacks though, the game itself still looks like the Stalker we know and love. PCG UK editor-in-chief Phil Savage wrote that a brief Gamescom demo of the game "manages to pack in all the grim, dystopian misery a Stalker fan could want."

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.