Stalker 2 Dev Reveals A-Life 2.0 Issues Behind Steam Removal

GSC Game World has opened up about the issues surrounding the A-Life 2.0 system in Stalker 2, explaining why it has been removed from the game's Steam description. Creative director Maria Grygorovych revealed that technical challenges, especially optimization problems, have severely impacted the functionality of A-Life 2.0, a once-promised feature that was meant to enrich the game world with emergent AI behavior. Despite launching to considerable success, with one million sales, players are disappointed as the game lacks the immersive AI experience that was anticipated. GSC Game World is now focused on fixing these bugs and restoring the A-Life system to its original vision.

A-Life 2.0 faced significant issues due to performance optimization challenges which resulted in a reduced interactive area, causing the system to appear nearly absent in the game. GSC is currently working on fixes to fulfill the original design intentions.

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is part of the acclaimed Stalker series and follows a post-apocalyptic horror aesthetic, focusing on exploration and survival in the dangerous Zone. The original game was praised for its dynamic and living world, which A-Life aimed to enhance further. Given the challenging circumstances surrounding its development due to the conflict in Ukraine, the release of Stalker 2 marks a significant achievement for GSC Game World, despite the ongoing challenges and setbacks.