Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World's servers have been damaged by a fire at its Prague office
"We've dealt with worse than that before. This is fine."
A fire has destroyed part of the offices of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl developer GSC Game World.
As reported by Vortex (thanks, @HazzadorGamin), the fire broke out at the team's Prague office on Thursday and while, thankfully, no one was injured, the fire has devastated one of the three floors the studio uses, and now requires "complete reconstruction".
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When questioned by fans on Discord, GSC's Mol1t confirmed the news.
"It is true," Mol1t said. "Fortunately, none of the employees or office staff were injured in the accident. A fire broke out in our offices in Prague in 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."
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl was set to release in the first quarter of 2024. It's unclear how the fire will impact the release schedule, or if any data has been lost as a result of the incident, although original reporting intimates that the team's "backup servers" were damaged by the fire.
GSC Game World recently asked fans not to share an early test build of Stalker 2, which was stolen and leaked online by Russian hackers as part of what it calls a "year and a half" attack.
The studio - which relocated from Kyiv to Prague last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine - first confirmed it was the target of Russian hackers back in March, when it revealed an employee's account was hacked and that the studio had been threatened with blackmail.
"We are a Ukrainian company," it wrote at the time, "and like most Ukrainians, we have experienced many things that are much more terrifying: destroyed houses, ruined lives, and the deaths of our loved ones. Attempts to blackmail or intimidate us are completely futile".