No, we're not joking. The announcement of STALKER 2 came out of the blue a few hours ago, when Ukrainian developer GSC Game World suddenly revealed the news to the world.

　　The official STALKER 2 website is also live now and suggests that the projected release window is currently 2021, or three years from now. That said, as you might remember STALKER 2 had already been announced in 2010 but got canceled in April 2012; hopefully, we won't get a repeat this time around.

　　Below you can find a company profile of GSC Game World from their own site.

　　Founded in 1995, GSC Game World has become the most renowned game development studio in Ukraine and a leading developer in Europe. Since 2004 the proprietary worldwide publishing branch has been operating within the company.

　　The revolutionary Cossacks: European Wars RTS title became the company's first hit, selling, along with its two add-ons, over 5 million copies worldwide.

　　In 2004 the studio enjoyed its first experience of working on a Hollywood movie license, while developing the tie-in RTS based on Oliver Stone's blockbuster film Alexander. The game was released simultaneously with the movie and was self-published by GSC in former USSR territories.

　　Since August 2004, GSC World Publishing has launched 7 projects: Alexander (2004), Cossacks 2: Napoleonic Wars (2005), Cossacks 2: Battle for Europe (2006), Heroes of Annihilated Empires (2006), S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (2007), S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky (2008), S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (2009).

　　Throughout its years of operation, GSC Game World has cooperated with leading worldwide and Russian publishers, including THQ Inc., Ubisoft, Koch Media, CDV, BitComposer, 1C, Novy Disk and more.

　　In April 2007 the company's most ambitious project - Survival FPS S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, set in the near-future Chernobyl exclusion zone, was released worldwide. GSC World Publishing was in charge of publishing the title in former USSR territories, while THQ Inc. operated the worldwide release.

　　The game received numerous awards at some of the biggest international trade shows, and received high critical acclaimed from both print and online media and from the players themselves. The success of the game has been proven not only by the 'Game of the Year' and 'Most Atmospheric Shooter' awards, but also by maintaining top spots on sales charts.

　　In the former USSR states alone, the game sold over half a million copies in the first two weeks. With the two subsequently released add-ons, the worldwide sales of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game series approach five million copies to-date.

　　Following the strategy of further brand development, GSC Game World initiated a series of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-based novels (published in Russian and German), and have sold over 5 million copies overall.

　　Cossacks 3, released in September 2016, put furious battles of XVII-XVIII centuries into 3D.

　　Currently company is developing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2