The events of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat unfold shortly after the end of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. Having discovered about the open path to the Zone center, the government decides to hold a large-scale military "Fairway" operation aimed to take the CNPP under control.

According to the operation's plan, the first military group is to conduct an air scouting of the territory to map out the detailed layouts of anomalous fields location. Thereafter, making use of the maps, the main military forces are to be dispatched.

Despite thorough preparations, the operation fails. Most of the avant-garde helicopters crash. In order to collect information on reasons behind the operation failure, Ukraine's Security Service send their agent into the Zone center. From now on everything depends on the player.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat takes PC gamers once again into the deadly area surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear reactor explosion of 1986. Cordoned off by the military, this highly contaminated "Zone" is scoured by treasure hunters known as s.t.a.l.k.e.r.s, who search the irradiated lands for unique artifacts. In the role of Agent Alexander Degtyarev, the player must go undercover as a s.t.a.l.k.e.r., investigating the mysterious disappearance of five military helicopters while standing against various s.t.a.l.k.e.r. groups.

Using the time-tested X-Ray graphic engine developed by GSC, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat skilfully combines first-person shooter action with role-playing elements in a realistic post-atomic world. The grim realities of this deadly environment are underscored by the many desolate industrial ruins, reproduced using aerial pictures and the developers’ own photographs. Mutants, s.t.a.l.k.e.r. groups, and lethal anomalies are everywhere, posing a constant threat to the player. The thrilling story is advanced through numerous quests, taking gamers through such diverse areas as a secret military base, the Jupiter factory site, and the titular city of Pripyat. The player decides how far to explore and which tasks they undertake – freedom determines the gameplay. Other s.t.a.l.k.e.r. groups respond to the player in a friendly or hostile manner, depending on the group to which they belong. In this ever-dangerous world, the player is supported by various weapon systems and upgrades, as well as several types of equipment.

"With S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, we have another high-profile title in our portfolio," says Wolfgang Duhr, director of bitComposer Games. "The fact that we could assert ourselves against internationally established publishers shows the trust placed in us by GSC. Together with GSC and our distribution partners, we want to continue the success of the series so that we can build on this foundation in the future."

"We're anticipating a very successful international release for Call of Pripyat and are happy to work with bitComposer Games to bring this next chapter of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to PC gamers around the world," says Sergiy Grygorovych, CEO of GSC Game World.

Key game features:

• Photorealistic exclusion Zone: Pripyat town, Yanov railway station, Jupiter factory, Kopachi village and more, recreated by their true-to-life prototypes.
• New story, a number of unique characters.
• Extended system of side quests.
• New monsters: Chimera and Burer. New behaviour and abilities for all monsters.
• New A-Life system, created using the players' best-liked elements of the first two games in series.
• Emissions considerably influence the world of the Zone.
• Sleep function added into the game.
• New player's interface.
• Possibility to continue the game after completion in a freeplay mode.
• The game is developed on X-Ray engine v.1.6

Minimum System Requirements

• Intel Pentium 4 2.0 Ghz / AMD XP 2200+
• 512 MB RAM
• 128 MB DirectX 8.0 compatible card / nVIDIA GeForce 5700 / ATI Radeon 9600

Recommended System Requirements

• Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 / AMD 64 X2 5600+
• 2 GB RAM
  512 MB DirectX 9.0c compatible card / nVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX / ATI Radeon HD 4850

bitComposer's S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, developed by GSC Game World, is scheduled for Fall 2009.