Couchpotato spotted the megadevlog #1 for Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone:

MEGADEVLOG #01

Your feedback and the development process

Hello all,

We’re exactly three weeks into the Early Access - thank you for all the support you’ve given us!

Why "megadevlog"? Forgive us for using that kind of differentiation between this devlog and a regular one. We call it that way because it's really a huge amount of information. And because we won't post news like that regularly - we'll leave it for moments when we want to address a lot of different subjects in a detailed way.

So this Megadevlog will be focusing on something most important in the Early Access: your feedback.

Every feedback counts, positive and negative equally, as we released an early version of the game exactly to gather your opinions and your invaluable input (meaning: reviews, reports, suggestions, all of these).

Of course, we know the game has issues - we expected some to appear (didn't want to, but nonetheless expected) and we are happy you provided us with so much feedback. It helps us identify and solve problems, so overall: it helps us to make the game better than we ever could without your help.

[...]

GamingBolt interviewed The Farm 51's marketing manager Barbara Szymanska:

Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone Interview – RPG Mechanics, Horror, Progression, and More

The Farm 51's marketing manager Barbara Szymanska was kind enough to answer our burning questions about Chernobylite 2.

With the Early Access release of Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone earlier this month, we’ve been quite curious about how developer The Farm 51 will continue to work on the game. Marketing manager Barbara Szymanska was kind enough to answer some of our burning questions about various things, including the new game’s focus on RPG mechanics over its predecessor’s survival horror vibes, and even the development of the console versions down the line.

You seem to be placing a much greater emphasis on the open world action RPG aspect of the experience with Chernobylite 2 compared to its predecessor. What made the team want to pursue such an expanded scope?

The first game was always an RPG and we never attempted to create a shooter. In our vision Chernobylite 2 is an expansion of all the ideas behind Chernobylite 1 – we just gave more freedom and more ways of playing. The key aspect of the first game was to let you experience your Chornobyl adventure in any way you want, so in the second part you’re getting new tools and ways of playing. In Chernobylite 1 we did not have the resources to build a fully open world, but thanks to Unreal Engine 5, new tools and technologies as well as a great and experienced team we were able to face this challenge and create a massive open world and let you play freely in any way you want – without limits of specific missions and locations.

The original game was already noted for its non-linear choice and consequence driven storytelling. As you move forward with the more ambitious Chernobylite 2, is that another area where players can expect the game to double down on what the original did?

Non-linear storytelling and branching has always been our team’s DNA. We designed consequences to players’ choices both in Get Even and in Chernobylite so it’s natural that in Chernobylite 2 the story will be non-linear as well. The sequel will have multiple endings and a branching narrative just as complex.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Learn more about Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone:

DEVLOG 2.0

How did it start?

Work on Chernobylite 2 is well underway. The game recently launched in Early Access, and we quickly released the first critical hotfix to address the most serious bugs. But that was just the beginning. We're continuously receiving valuable feedback from you, and rest assured, we’re taking all of it into account for future updates. And these updates will be rolling out very soon, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, let’s take a trip into the past.

We receive a lot of questions about Chernobylite 2, especially regarding its development and how it differs from the first game. Many of you are particularly curious about the behind-the-scenes process. Fortunately, we’re the perfect people to answer that!

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted some Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone gameplay:

Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone Early Gameplay

Prankster101 interviewed Development Director Wojtek Pazdur about Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone:

Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone – interview with Wojtek Pazdur (Development Director, The Farm 51)

With the Chernobyl nuclear disaster proving to be an incredibly fertile setting for a number of highly acclaimed games (like the S.T.A.L.K.E.R and Metro series) another game which draws inspiration from the Chernobyl exclusion zone is Chernobylite – a post-apocalyptic first person survival game that was developed by Polish game developer The Farm 51 and released in 2021 to generally favourable reviews.

Now 4 years later, The Farm 51 are readying its sequel for release and are looking to build upon what they’ve done previously. As part of this, I got to speak with Wojtek Pazdur (Development Director, The Farm 51) and was able to find out a little bit more about his upcoming game project, Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone, and also got to ask him about his background in game development. Enjoy!

Chernobylite 2 is the sequel to the original Chernobylite game. What’s the development history?

Well, the original Chernobylite is the project that we started work on in 2017 and it was right after the success of our virtual reality application called Chernobyl VR Project – a sort of serious application which was a virtual trip to Chernobyl. We went to the place, we 3D scanned many objects in the Chernobyl zone, and we recorded interviews with many people who were somehow touched by the catastrophe in Chernobyl. And then we made this interactive documentary about the Chernobyl catastrophe. But because it was quite successful, and it was presented in virtual reality, many people kept asking us, “why not make a game about it?” And then we decided, “yes, this is a great subject for making a game.” So we had to figure out what this game should be all about, besides the fact that it’s located in such a strange, mysterious and amazing place, like Chernobyl’s zone was for us. So we decided that we should make a mix of survival and RPG game, which was the first Chernobylite.

What are the main differences between the first game and the second game? How have you been able to build upon the first game in terms of its strengths whilst also trying to minimise its weaknesses and bringing those to the sequel?

Well, the first Chernobylite game was quite successful. We saw that our approach regarding the early access, regarding the Kickstarter campaign, allowed us to work together with our community and this led us to create something good. We were happy with the outcome and players were happy with the game. So we decided that we wanted to make another project which is similar to Chernobylite, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a sequel. It was more like the same game, but much better because we had a very strict limitation with the first Chernobylite regarding the technology, the budget, and the amount of people involved in the project and so on.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Mortismal Gaming checked out Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone:

Check Out | Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone

Thanks Couchpotato!

Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone will be released into Early Access today:

Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone

Explore the mysterious open world of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone in this post-apocalyptic action RPG adventure. Shape your non-linear story, develop skills, and work with teammates and factions. Use crafted weaponry in first-person or third-person perspective.

Splattercatgaming checked out Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone:

A New Open World Post Apocalyptic Ruins Scavenging RPG - Chernobylite 2

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted a demo for Chernobylite 2:

Chernobylite 2 Demo is now live for everyone!

You can enter the Zone right now!

Chernobylite 2 demo is here!
This is it! We have wonderful news for you! Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone demo is now available for everyone. Feel free to download and begin your exploration of the Zone. Some of you may have seen some gameplays and read first impressions, but now you can experience the game’s prologue by yourselves.

[...]

Gematsu reports that Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone launches into Early Access for PC on March 6.

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone:

Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone - Official Cinematic Trailer

Couchpotato spotted a new video about Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone (-> Kickstarter):

Kickstarter Success! Switchable first-person and third-person combat in Chernobylite 2.

Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone has already been funded on Kickstarter:

Chernobylite 2 funded on Kickstarter in less than four days! Play the game in first-person mode and help us reaching the stretch goals.

Hi Chornobyl explorers,

Yes, we did it! We reached our campaign goal in less than four days, which is an incredible achievement beyond our imagination. 

Once again, we all can pack our backpacks, Geiger counters, and stalker's equipment to get back to the Exclusion Zone as the gamers have spoken!

Thank you! You are awesome!

Your, players, message is evident to us: you want to play Chernobylite 2 and have the Exclusion Zone bigger, better, and more ba**ss. 

Thanks to you, we can now focus on developing the alternative first-person combat mode, allowing you to play the game in any style you choose. Whether you're a fan of classic third-person RPGs or modern first-person adventures, you should be comfortable experiencing Chernobylite 2 in a way that is more natural to you.

What next, then?

Of course, it's not over. We are keeping our campaign alive for the next few weeks, and there's plenty more to do to keep growing our community and deliver more cool stuff within the game. We'll add some stretch goals to the campaign now to let us expand Chernobylite 2 with other elements that may be interesting, especially for you, our current and potential backers. 

What is the first stretch goal? As we secured first-person shooting mode, we want to add all the weapons you used in the original Chernobylite. Why are not all of them included in Chernobylite 2 today? When we planned to focus on third-person combat only, we realized that some other firearms look and work better within the new camera system. Today, a few of the iconic pieces from the first Chernobylite, like Makarov, were not fully recreated in the new game. We have replaced them with other guns, but as we know now, you'd like to have good stuff from the original Chernobylite present in Chernobylite 2, so besides the player perspective, we'll also give you the same toys you enjoyed most. As Neo said: Guns. Lots of guns.

Stay with us; we'll keep you posted about many more cool things. Our campaign is running, and we want to involve you in the whole process. So, let us know in your comments what you think about other things we could do together to make Chernobylite 2 your favorite post-apo RPG game of this decade.

We believed we'd succeed, but the amount and intensity of your support exceeded our expectations. Let's make it last. 

Cheers,
Wojciech Pazdur
Creative Director

Thanks Farflame!

The Kickstarter for Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone has been started:

KICKSTARTER LAUNCH TRAILER - Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone

Explore the mysterious open world of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone in this post-apocalyptic action RPG adventure. Craft your story by facing sinister hazards and monsters. Survive furious encounters with the help of your crafted weaponry, developed skills, gathered teammates, and supported factions

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone:

Chernobylite 2 RPG Showcase Trailer

In recent months, you had the opportunity to see the first teaser and trailer for Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone. Now it's time to get deeper into what’s Chernobylite 2 is all about.

You already know that this is a post-apocalyptic RPG with an open world, right? Now's your chance to find out much more. In this new trailer we reveal some of the gameplay and features showcase of the game.

[...]

A Kickstarter for Chernobylite 2 will be started soon:

Chernobylite 2 - Soon we'll start a brand new campaign on Kickstarter!

Get notified now!

Chernobylite 2 is a sequel to Chernobylite, the game created thanks to a 2019 Kickstarter campaign. We're back again to bring you the next chapter, which is bigger, better, and more bad**s than the first.

It’s a post-apocalyptic action RPG, blending free exploration of a huge, extremely realistic open world with challenging combat, unique crafting, team and base management, and non-linear storytelling.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted a Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone Q&A on Wccftech:

Chernobylite 2 Q&A – 20 Times Bigger World, 2-3X Longer Playtime, Third-Person View, Fall 2025 Release Window

Polish developer The Farm 51 announced Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone, the sequel to 2021's first-person shooter survival horror game, just before Gamescom 2024.

While there, I had the chance to speak with Wojciech Pazdur, Development Director at The Farm 51, who discussed the big changes of this sequel, which is moving to the third-person open world role-playing game genre (albeit with an optional first-person view for exploration) and shooting for a much bigger game in terms of explorable area and playtime, not to mention optional support for cooperative multiplayer.

[...]

When did you begin working on Chernobylite 2?

We started working on it as soon as we launched the first game. However, Chernobylite 1 was never fully finished because we just released the last DLCs, the last expansion packs, a bit over a month ago. This is actually the end of our journey with Chernobylite 1. A port is coming for Nintendo Switch, but we are not developing the game ourselves.

We first started working on concepts and prototypes for Chernobylite 2 in the second half of 2021, so it's been almost three years today. The pre-production took us one year and a half, and we've been in production for over a year. We still have one year until the game is finished. Today, we are close to the Alpha stage, meaning you can play almost all the game. We actually wanted to wait to announce Chernobylite 2 up to the day when the first one was completely done from our aspect.

Are you going to do early access again?

We are considering early access. However, because of the scale of the project, we would prefer not to. We know that early access is very helpful. But if we went with early access, then probably the release date for the final game would be postponed, because early access gives you a lot of extra work. So today, we would prefer not to go for early access, but we will see how our playtest goes and how our talks with investors and the publisher regarding the distribution model go.

Ultimately, early access gave us an enormous amount of value-added feedback for the first game, helping us make a better game. Looking just from this perspective, early access is a good tool. But for a game of this scale, supporting and managing early access would be heavy for us because the game is many times bigger than the original.

[...]

Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone:

CHERNOBYLITE 2: EXCLUSION ZONE - GAMEPLAY TRAILER [2025 ON PC & CONSOLES]

The open-world RPG Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone has been announced for 2025:

Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone - Official Reveal Trailer

Explore the mysterious open world of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone in this post-apocalyptic action RPG adventure. Craft your story by facing sinister hazards and monsters. Survive furious encounters with the help of your crafted weaponry, developed skills, gathered teammates, and supported factions.

Thanks Farflame!