Copyright Inverse
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, one of 2024’s most ambitious first-person shooters and one of Xbox Game Pass’ most compelling exclusive additions, is leaving the popular subscription service Nov. 16, nearly a year out from its initial release. And while this is a normal part of subscription services in the modern entertainment landscape, this unique brand of video games’ sudden departure from Game Pass hurts in a different way, and players are being vocal about it. Over the weekend, Microsoft quietly announced that GSC Game World’s shooter would be leaving the service along with four other games. And that hasn’t gone over well with players who were accessing Stalker 2 as part of their Game Pass subscription, according to several Reddit threads. The frustration stems from Stalker 2 launching in a bad state. As I mentioned in my review at the time of launch, the game’s best parts, like its atmospheric world and tense gunfights, were bogged down by bugs and performance issues. Glaring visual blemishes were plentiful. Progression bugs made otherwise fun quests a crapshoot gamble. Even bullet-pointed features, like the “A-Life 2.0,” had to be fixed weeks after launch. While it's easy to shoot developer GSC Game World some bail considering the game’s development was heavily impacted by the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict, even the developers admitted the game needed years of ongoing post-launch support to realize its full potential. For many who’ve played the game via Game Pass since launch, the Stalker 2 experience has been a trying one that improves incrementally after updates released months apart from each other. And now, as the game is set to receive its next big update that fixes UI elements, audio, and gameplay tweaks before year’s end, losing access to it has them frustrated. “This is [a] shame because it only really got into a playable state [now],” one Reddit user wrote on the game’s subreddit. “Right before they update the damn engine,” another said. “Guess I won’t be finishing it.” The Stalker games aren’t your typical single-player shooters. While it has a decent enough story that can be beaten in a few dozen hours, the main hook of the game is to soak in the vibes, explore its vast open land, and slowly amass power in this unforgiving world. It’s a game most people will return to repeatedly in the years to come, sinking hundreds of hours into its mish-mash of post-apocalyptic horror, role-playing, and dense shooter mechanics. One user pointed out that the game’s Game Pass exit is especially surprising since Microsoft helped fund the project as it relocated out of Ukraine during development and pushed it so heavily as a Day One addition to the service. The assumption that it would be on the service longer than the standard one-year availability isn’t the craziest one. “Microsoft backed GSC through all the delays and even the invasion, so it’s surprising they weren’t able to secure a better deal,” user JBishie said. “The game was incomplete at launch and is only now starting to resemble a finished product, yet it’s being removed from the service just as the 1.7 update approaches, and with the PS5 release coming up, the timing looks especially poor.” While many were frustrated that they’ll now have to purchase the game if they want to continue playing it into the future, others were far more optimistic. “I put 80+ hours into it while it was [on Game Pass] and I'm nowhere near done,” Reddit user PajamaShark said. “I'm buying this for sure.” As has been the case for many games when they are about to leave Game Pass, Stalker 2 is on sale for Game Pass subscribers who want to keep the game. Stalker 2 leaving Game Pass is reflective of a broader issue with subscription services as a whole. As much as I thoroughly enjoyed Final Fantasy 7 Remake, my playthrough stopped in its tracks when my PlayStation Plus subscription lapsed earlier this year. I’ve been getting into Frostpunk via Game Pass the last few weeks, but will have to find a new way to play it when it leaves the same day as Stalker 2 later this month. These services can be for players who are always checking out new releases. But we are reminded time and time again that it isn’t an outright replacement for ownership. Even under the old Game Pass subscription prices, paying for Stalker 2 upfront would have saved Game Pass players who loved it hundreds of dollars before having to buy the game anyway. It’s an inconvenience that impacts television streaming services as well, and one I think every modern consumer opting into this newer way of accessing games needs to be aware of. I sympathize with the small percentage of players who were playing Stalker 2 through Game Pass. There’s nothing quite like it, and watching it evolve into an even better game has been part of the excitement of playing it. But I do think it's a wake-up call that some games, such as expansive, role-playing games meant to be played for hundreds of hours, like Stalker 2, are better purchased if you’re in it for the long haul. Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is available on Xbox Series X|S and PC. It will release on PlayStation 5 November 20.
