Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone - Message from Game Director

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The Early Access game Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone got a lot of critical comments - the game director reacts:

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Message from Game Director

A step back in order to make a leap forward

Hi,

It's been three months since the Early Access launch of Chernobylite 2. I won't sugarcoat it - these have been extremely difficult months, possibly one of the hardest periods in The Farm 51's history. During this time, we've been analyzing every post you've written, every review you've submitted, and every video you've uploaded. We've done everything we could to fix your issues, implement your suggestions, and expand the game with new content and mechanics. We're convinced that thanks to you and your feedback, Chernobylite 2 is a much better game today than it was three months ago. But still not as good as you expected us to deliver...

The abundance of critical comments has made it clear that we can no longer confidently follow the roadmap we initially laid out and simply hope that in the end, everything will magically fall into place as the game of our - and your - dreams. In trying to meet the expectations of all our fans, and after numerous studies and focus tests, we went too far and lost sight of what made you love the first Chernobylite. The prequel was a brutal and grounded survival experience that offered freedom in how players tackled challenges. That experience was lost under a pile of limiting stats, "bullet sponge" enemies, forced co-op, and unclear gamey mechanics. We want to return to that experience, but to do so, we need to take a big step back.

What does that mean in practice? Some elements of the game will be cut, others will be completely redesigned, and some will be pushed to a later stage so the beginning of the game feels less overwhelming. We'll rework and trim down the story. We'll entirely rebalance the game and shrink the map to make the core areas denser and more engaging. We'll darken the lighting and tone down the colors. In short: we want to prioritize quality and atmosphere over quantity and mechanical complexity.

I expect not everyone will like the changes, so I'm asking you to give us honest feedback on each of them as they start appearing in upcoming updates.

Thank you all for participating in Early Access. We truly needed this experience.

Artur Fojcik, Game Director

P.S. Despite all the upcoming changes, we'll continue doing everything we can to preserve your saves and maintain your progress.