Chernobylite developer The Farm 51 is “heartbroken” at current events in Ukraine.
Speaking to PressPlayNews, studio creative director Wojciech Pazdur discussed the war, as well as the future of the game.
“This war, like any other, is an unnecessary violence which takes lives of innocent people and forces millions to flee and abandon their homes while those who stayed have to fight for their lives during the humanitarian crisis,” he said.
“It’s impossible to imagine that one day, instead of having a nice morning coffee before work, you hear there is war in your country and nothing will be the same again.”
The development team donated their weekly income from the game to the Ukrainian Red Cross, while proceeds from its Charity Pack DLC will be transferred to the Ukrainian Pure Heart Foundation.
“We encourage everyone to join ours or any other charity activities to help our friends in Ukraine,” he said. “We hope peace will come soon but Ukraine will be needing help for a long time to rebuild their country.”
In the interview, Pazdur discussed visiting Chernobyl for research purposes to create an immersive world.
“The Zone is a place that’s one of a kind and our goal was to transfer this uniqueness from real life to the game’s world,” he said. “Especially when Pripyat and its surroundings have been deteriorating and slowly disappearing throughout the years and will vanish completely one day.”
It also allowed the team to use 3D scanning and photogrammetry technology.
A common misconception about the area is the amount of radiation. “People still tend to think that it’s extremely dangerous, even life-threatening. In reality, radiation in most places is not much higher than in a bigger city or during plane travel,” he said.
Additionally, Pazdur spoke of the forthcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game due out 21st April. Performance and Resolution modes will be included, as well as faster load times and additional vibration features.
“The release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X | S versions, but also the Enhanced PC Edition, is undoubtedly the result of months of hard work,” he said. “Our main goal was to add Ray Tracing to the graphics options to introduce even more realism to the already graphically advanced game. Reaching this point gives us incredible satisfaction, and it is also the moment long awaited by the players.”
More content is also planned for future.
Eurogamer described the game as “a haunting and atmospheric Stalk-’em-up” in our Chernobylite review.
