{"id":2057484,"date":"2026-07-23T08:19:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T05:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2057484"},"modified":"2026-07-23T08:19:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T05:19:11","slug":"stalker-2-developer-refutes-claims-by-studio-founder-that-xbox-paid-more-than-games-development-cost-to-make-it-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2057484","title":{"rendered":"Stalker 2 developer refutes claims by studio founder that Xbox paid more than game&#8217;s development cost to make it exclusive"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/stalker-2\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Stalker 2 developer refutes claims by studio founder that Xbox paid more than game&#8217;s development cost to make it exclusive<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">&#8220;That is simply not true.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/ss_bb0d9a5b981ada1e0045cc49327e2cc26566766f.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"A man wearing a bulletproof vest assembles a rifle in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"ss_bb0d9a5b981ada1e0045cc49327e2cc26566766f.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>GSC Game World<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/sherif-saed\">Sherif Saed<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Senior Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-07-23T08:19:11+00:00\">July 23, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/stalker-2-xbox-timed-exclusivity-claim-refuted?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          2 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"b0d0d22a-8b74-4879-85ef-55824901161b\" data-name=\"S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl\" data-follow-text=\"Follow S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl\" title=\"Follow S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl\"><br \/>\n  Follow S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Earlier this week, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/gsc-game-world\">GSC Game World<\/a> studio founder Sergiy Grygorovych made a bombshell revelation about the development of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Grygorovych said in an interview with YouTuber <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@oldboiua\">OLDboi<\/a> that Microsoft paid a significant sum to keep the then-upcoming open-world shooter a timed Xbox exclusive.<\/p>\n<p>According to Grygorovych, Microsoft paid the Ukrainian studio more than it cost to develop the game in order to release it on Xbox, and not PlayStation. &#8220;It paid for itself before the first day,&#8221; Grygorovych said, via machine translation.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"\u041d\u043e\u0432\u0430 \u0413\u0440\u0430 S.T.R.A.N.G.E.R, \u0421\u0443\u0434 \u041f\u0440\u043e\u0442\u0438 GSC, \u0413\u0440\u043e\u0448\u0456 \u0412\u0456\u0434 XBOX, STALKER 3, \u041a\u041e\u0417\u0410\u041a\u0418 5 - \u0421\u0415\u0420\u0413\u0406\u0419 \u0413\u0420\u0418\u0413\u041e\u0420\u041e\u0412\u0418\u0427\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dU-jN2Fmo38?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/dU-jN2Fmo38\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">\u041d\u043e\u0432\u0430 \u0413\u0440\u0430 S.T.R.A.N.G.E.R, \u0421\u0443\u0434 \u041f\u0440\u043e\u0442\u0438 GSC, \u0413\u0440\u043e\u0448\u0456 \u0412\u0456\u0434 XBOX, STALKER 3, \u041a\u041e\u0417\u0410\u041a\u0418 5 &#8211; \u0421\u0415\u0420\u0413\u0406\u0419 \u0413\u0420\u0418\u0413\u041e\u0420\u041e\u0412\u0418\u0427<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dU-jN2Fmo38\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>GSC has now itself responded to those claims, saying they don&#8217;t paint an accurate picture. In a statement to <a href=\"https:\/\/insider-gaming.com\/stalker-2-studio-shuts-down-recent-xbox-funding-claims\/\">Insider Gaming<\/a>, the developer explained that it initially decided to ignore the claims, but felt it must now set the record straight &#8220;as continued silence may be perceived as confirmation of information that is simply not true.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In accordance with the agreements reached between the parties, Sergiy was not involved either in negotiations with partners regarding Stalker 2 or in the actual development of the game throughout its full production cycle,&#8221; the developer said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have always fully honored these agreements on our side. For this reason, his comments regarding the company&#8217;s activities cannot be considered an accurate reflection of the actual state of affairs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Although the statement doesn&#8217;t specifically counter the claim itself, it does say &#8220;the majority of the development budget&#8221; was funded by studio owner Max Krippa.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The development of Stalker 2 became one of the most challenging projects in the history of the video game industry,&#8221; the statement went on. &#8220;We believe the story of this game should be based on facts, not on assumptions or subjective opinions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Stalkers gather around a campfire in Stalker 2.\" height=\"2160\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/S2_HoC_Campfire.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"3840\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Stalkers gather around a campfire in Stalker 2.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"S2_HoC_Campfire.jpg\" height=\"2160\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"3840\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>GSC Game World<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the original interview, Grygorovych said there was a combination of factors that pushed Microsoft to pay for Stalker 2&#8217;s timed-exclusivity. The tech giant had the cash to spare and, in an effort to score points against Sony, went after Stalker 2. The game&#8217;s reveal trailer performed really well online, too, according to Grygorovych, which convinced it to make the deal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They brought in all the documents for signing in about a week,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Stalker 2 has had a tumultuous development journey, in part due to Russia&#8217;s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The game <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/delaying-stalker-2-again-not-an-option-studio-says-team-worked-until-it-was-broken-by-marathon-development\">had to be delayed multiple times<\/a>, and launched in a rough technical state. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/stalker-2-heart-of-chornobyl-review\">It wasn&#8217;t especially well-received when it initially arrived in late 2024<\/a>, but GSC has been diligently working on it since, releasing multiple major patches that touched everything from performance to AI routines, animations and more. The game&#8217;s Xbox timed-exclusivity ended one year later, in November 2025.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Earlier this week, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/gsc-game-world\">GSC Game World<\/a> studio founder Sergiy Grygorovych made a bombshell revelation about the development of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Grygorovych said in an interview with YouTuber <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@oldboiua\">OLDboi<\/a> that Microsoft paid a significant sum to keep the then-upcoming open-world shooter a timed Xbox exclusive.<\/p>\n<p>According to Grygorovych, Microsoft paid the Ukrainian studio more than it cost to develop the game in order to release it on Xbox, and not PlayStation. &#8220;It paid for itself before the first day,&#8221; Grygorovych said, via machine translation.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"\u041d\u043e\u0432\u0430 \u0413\u0440\u0430 S.T.R.A.N.G.E.R, \u0421\u0443\u0434 \u041f\u0440\u043e\u0442\u0438 GSC, \u0413\u0440\u043e\u0448\u0456 \u0412\u0456\u0434 XBOX, STALKER 3, \u041a\u041e\u0417\u0410\u041a\u0418 5 - \u0421\u0415\u0420\u0413\u0406\u0419 \u0413\u0420\u0418\u0413\u041e\u0420\u041e\u0412\u0418\u0427\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dU-jN2Fmo38?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/dU-jN2Fmo38\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">\u041d\u043e\u0432\u0430 \u0413\u0440\u0430 S.T.R.A.N.G.E.R, \u0421\u0443\u0434 \u041f\u0440\u043e\u0442\u0438 GSC, \u0413\u0440\u043e\u0448\u0456 \u0412\u0456\u0434 XBOX, STALKER 3, \u041a\u041e\u0417\u0410\u041a\u0418 5 &#8211; \u0421\u0415\u0420\u0413\u0406\u0419 \u0413\u0420\u0418\u0413\u041e\u0420\u041e\u0412\u0418\u0427<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dU-jN2Fmo38\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>GSC has now itself responded to those claims, saying they don&#8217;t paint an accurate picture. In a statement to <a href=\"https:\/\/insider-gaming.com\/stalker-2-studio-shuts-down-recent-xbox-funding-claims\/\">Insider Gaming<\/a>, the developer explained that it initially decided to ignore the claims, but felt it must now set the record straight &#8220;as continued silence may be perceived as confirmation of information that is simply not true.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In accordance with the agreements reached between the parties, Sergiy was not involved either in negotiations with partners regarding Stalker 2 or in the actual development of the game throughout its full production cycle,&#8221; the developer said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have always fully honored these agreements on our side. For this reason, his comments regarding the company&#8217;s activities cannot be considered an accurate reflection of the actual state of affairs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Although the statement doesn&#8217;t specifically counter the claim itself, it does say &#8220;the majority of the development budget&#8221; was funded by studio owner Max Krippa.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The development of Stalker 2 became one of the most challenging projects in the history of the video game industry,&#8221; the statement went on. &#8220;We believe the story of this game should be based on facts, not on assumptions or subjective opinions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Stalkers gather around a campfire in Stalker 2.\" height=\"2160\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/S2_HoC_Campfire.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"3840\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Stalkers gather around a campfire in Stalker 2.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"S2_HoC_Campfire.jpg\" height=\"2160\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"3840\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>GSC Game World<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the original interview, Grygorovych said there was a combination of factors that pushed Microsoft to pay for Stalker 2&#8217;s timed-exclusivity. The tech giant had the cash to spare and, in an effort to score points against Sony, went after Stalker 2. The game&#8217;s reveal trailer performed really well online, too, according to Grygorovych, which convinced it to make the deal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They brought in all the documents for signing in about a week,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Stalker 2 has had a tumultuous development journey, in part due to Russia&#8217;s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The game <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/delaying-stalker-2-again-not-an-option-studio-says-team-worked-until-it-was-broken-by-marathon-development\">had to be delayed multiple times<\/a>, and launched in a rough technical state. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/stalker-2-heart-of-chornobyl-review\">It wasn&#8217;t especially well-received when it initially arrived in late 2024<\/a>, but GSC has been diligently working on it since, releasing multiple major patches that touched everything from performance to AI routines, animations and more. The game&#8217;s Xbox timed-exclusivity ended one year later, in November 2025.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Stalker 2 developer refutes claims by studio founder that Xbox paid more than game&#8217;s development cost to make it exclusive &#8220;That is simply not true.&#8221; Image credit: GSC Game World News by Sherif Saed Senior Contributor Published on July 23, 2026 2 comments Follow S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2057484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2057484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057484\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2057484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2057484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2057484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}