In a tweet from the official Twitter account for the STALKER game series, developer GSC Game World officially announced that it is using Unreal Engine 4 for the upcoming sequel STALKER 2. The previous games, which are several years old at this point, used the proprietary X-Ray Engine that allowed those games to stand out visually at the time with stunning lighting, shadows, and weather, but it seems that Unreal will make things simpler for the devs.

GSC Game World stated that "UE was the most suitable choice for us." Its statement continued, "It gives the opportunity to make the game you wait for with the atmosphere of tension and mystery, the flesh and blood of the STALKER universe." The team also mentioned that mods factored into the decision, saying, "Unreal Engine harmonizes well with our goal to make modding more easy and accessible."

For those unaware, Unreal Engine is owned and developed by Epic Games. Questions about Epic Games Store exclusivity naturally begin to pop up in light of the engine announcement, but GSC Game World addressed the speculation rather bluntly. It stated, "Yes, we know what you are thinking about, but this announcement has nothing to do with platforms or digital stores. We will talk about this later."

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is powered by Unreal Engine: pic.twitter.com/RdDWr4yYj3 — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) January 2, 2020

Very little is known about the game at the moment, though it's likely to build on the open first-person shooter/RPG hybrid foundation of the original games. Back in March of last year, the official STALKER 2 website was updated with key art and foreboding atmospheric music. A full STALKER sequel was planned in 2010 and was eventually cancelled in 2012; this upcoming STALKER 2 is a separate project. STALKER 2 is said to launch sometime in 2021.