The immense popularity of the survival horror shooter, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, in Ukraine caused a significant nationwide internet slowdown. The game's November 20th launch overwhelmed Ukrainian internet providers, Tenet and Triolan, resulting in dramatically reduced speeds during the evening peak hours. This was directly attributed to the massive influx of simultaneous downloads by eager Ukrainian gamers. Triolan's official Telegram channel reported a "temporary decrease in Internet speed" due to the "increased load on the channels."
Even after successfully downloading the game, players encountered significant login and loading delays. The internet disruption lasted for hours before resolving as downloads completed. GSC Game World, the developer, expressed both pride and surprise at this unprecedented event. Creative director Mariia Grygorovych commented, "It was hard for the whole country, and it's a bad thing because the internet is important, but at the same time it's like whoa!" She highlighted the positive impact, stating, "For us and our team, what's most important is, for some people in Ukraine, they feel a little bit happier than they were before release. We did something for our home country, something good for them."
Despite performance issues and bugs, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 achieved remarkable sales, surpassing 1 million copies sold within just two days of its release. This success is especially noteworthy given the challenges faced by GSC Game World, a Ukrainian studio operating from offices in Kyiv and Prague amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which caused multiple launch delays. The studio remains dedicated to addressing the game's issues through ongoing updates and patch releases, with a third major patch already deployed.
