Stalker 2: A Masterpiece Used as a Pawn in Russia’s Disinformation War
A new, outlandish disinformation campaign alleges that Ukraine issecretly using the critically acclaimed video game Stalker 2 to identify and locate recruits for the war against Russia. This claim, far from reality,highlights the ongoing Russian effort to sow discord and undermine trust in both the game and the news media.
The campaign, detailed by 404media,centers around a video circulating on Telegram and sent directly to journalists via email. The video, falsely watermarked with the logo of Wired magazine, claims that an embedded program within Stalker 2‘s code collects player data—including device information, names, IP addresses, and current location—and transmits it every second to the developers’ servers. This data, the video alleges, is then used by the Ukrainian government to identify suitable citizens for mobilization.
The video further fabricates a supposed agreement between GSC Game World, the Ukrainian developer of Stalker 2, and the Ukrainian government. This fabricated agreement supposedly provides funding for the game in exchange for assistance in finding men suitable for mobilization. The video concludes with a call to boycott the game or use a VPNto play.
This deceptive video is clearly not from Wired, and bears the hallmarks of previous disinformation campaigns such as Matryoshka and Doppelganger, operations known for spreading anti-Ukrainian narratives, wasting the time of journalists and fact-checkers, and attempting to erode public trust innews organizations.
This latest attack is not an isolated incident. Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Stalker 2 and GSC Game World have been the target of sustained Russian harassment. The studio has endured relentless cyberattacks, including one incident where hackers threatened to release game assets unlessthe company changed its stance towards Russian and Belarusian players and apologized for its perceived unworthy attitude towards players in those countries. The hackers also demanded the restoration of Russian language localization and the unbanning of a specific user (NF Star) on the studio’s Discord server.
The impact of the conflicton GSC Game World extends beyond the digital realm. Several employees paused Stalker 2‘s development to join the fight against the invading Russian forces. One such employee, Volodymyr Anatoliyovych Yezhov, tragically lost his life in December 2022.
The blatant falsehoodssurrounding Stalker 2‘s alleged role in recruitment underscore the lengths to which Russia will go to manipulate information and undermine its adversaries. While Stalker 2, despite its bugs, is a stunning achievement in game development, its use as a prop in Russia’s disinformation war serves as a stark reminderof the ongoing conflict’s far-reaching consequences. The persistence of these campaigns highlights the need for critical thinking, robust fact-checking, and a vigilant approach to online information.
References:
- 404media: https://www.404media.co/stalker2-disinformation/
- TechSpot: https://www.techspot.com/news/97915-russian-hackers-threaten-release-stalker-2-content-if.html (Note: This link refers to a previous cyberattack on GSC Game World)
(Note: Further investigation into thespecific details of the Matryoshka and Doppelganger operations would strengthen this article. Adding specific examples of previous disinformation campaigns would enhance its credibility and provide a richer context.)
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