You might have brushed this off already – but it was in the summer of last year that GSC Game World disclosed the first set of details regarding the long-awaited sequel to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. While the developer had a lot to share about the ambitions that would be implemented into the upcoming title; the team, however, failed to reveal any assets or teases for the game itself.

GSC Game World, for those who might not be familiar, is the initial developer that harbored figures like Andrew Prokhorov, Oles Shyshkovtsov, and Alexander Maximchuk who later went to form 4A Games to develop the notorious Metro series. Shortly after their departure, GSC has release two other entries for the series, but left a decade long wait for the next installment.

This week, GSC Game World on twitter finally released the first glimpse of the second mainline entry for the series. You can view the image in the header of this article. Following the thread on the post, the studio also disclosed their gratitude for the devoted fans who have patiently waited on the next title for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Being inspired by everything you do (including arts, stories, cosplays, and mods), we fully understand we can’t let you down. The second chapter of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. saga will be out most ambitious game so far. It will live to the legendary legacy.

Gifting fans a glimpse at just one render of the game for now, GSC Game World also shares that more detail on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is planned to “come in 2020.” Given from the single image of the game so far, the progress from the last entry in 2009 surely is a major leap from the previously used X-Ray Engine when transitioning to Unreal Engine 4.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat all ran on the X-Ray Engine which delivered for all three titles at the time. But now that GSC Game World has migrated over to Unreal Engine, the game will surely be a step up in both appearance and functionality. This would also explain for the prolonged wait seeing that other game development teams adopting Unreal Engine 4 typically need additional time to tackle the learning curve for the engine.

Are you excited to see what else is in store for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 later this year?

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has not listed platforms or scheduled release date as of yet.

Source: GSC Games World