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Stalker 2's GOG page popped up on July 5, 2022, and it wasn't long before the fans spotted it. Considering the game went through controversy previously, earning the ire of the fan base over nonsense like plans for NFT integration, it was a good thing to see the game arriving at a store with a DRM-free policy.
However, this sparked discussion about the title's availability in Russia which is currently busy invading Ukraine, the home country of Stalker 2 devs. Since it would be DRM-free, there would be nothing preventing Russian players from downloading the game but then again, GSC may never have been about denying fans the experience based on their geographical location.
In any case, it's highly unlikely Russian players would purchase the game even if it had DRM, given the high restrictions that sprung to life over the aforementioned invasion.
Another detail on the GOG page caught the fans' attention - the release date is listed as December 31, 2023. Some immediately started speculating this means the game will not be released before 2024 while others are leaning toward a 2023 release.
In reality, stores often list December 31 of any year as a placeholder when they don't actually have a release window.
Overall, it's nice to see Stalker 2 going down the DRM-free road and you should take any theories about the release date with a pebble of salt, rather than just a grain, at least for the moment.
