S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Release Slowed Ukrainian Internet Because It Was So Popular

The survival horror shooter, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, proved so incredibly popular in Ukraine that its launch caused a significant nationwide internet slowdown. Read on to discover more about the game's launch and the developers' reactions.

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

A Nation Enters The Zone

The sheer popularity of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 overwhelmed Ukraine's internet infrastructure. On November 20th, launch day, Ukrainian internet providers Tenet and Triolan reported on Telegram that while daytime internet speeds were normal, evening speeds plummeted dramatically. This was directly attributed to the massive number of simultaneous downloads by Ukrainian gamers. As reported by ITC, Triolan stated, "We're currently experiencing temporary reduced internet speeds across the board. This is due to increased channel load from the huge demand for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 release."

Even those who successfully downloaded the game encountered login and loading issues. The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2-induced internet outage lasted for hours before resolving itself once downloads completed. GSC Game World, the developer, expressed both pride and surprise at this event.

"It was tough on the whole country, and that's obviously not ideal because internet access is crucial, but at the same time...wow!" exclaimed 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 did something positive for our homeland."

The game's popularity is undeniable: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 sold an astonishing 1 million copies within just two days of its release. Despite performance issues and bugs, sales were exceptionally strong globally, particularly in Ukraine.

GSC Game World, a Ukrainian studio with offices in Kyiv and Prague, faced challenges releasing the game due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which caused multiple launch delays. However, they were determined to release the game in November and are now actively working on patches to address bugs, optimize performance, and fix crashes. Their third major patch was released earlier this week.