GSC Game World, developer of Stalker 2, has publicly rejected claims made by the studio's original founder Sergiy Grygorovych that Xbox paid more for a console exclusivity deal than the game cost to produce. The dispute matters because it touches on the finances and ownership history of one of the biggest Ukrainian-developed games in recent years, and comes after Grygorovych left the studio in 2023 following a change in ownership.

Grygorovych made the claims in an interview with YouTuber OLDboi, reportedly translated from Ukrainian, saying GSC "took more than the cost of Stalker 2" from the Xbox deal and that it "paid for itself before the first day". In a statement to IGN, GSC said his comments "do not reflect the actual facts", stressing he had no involvement in partner negotiations or development after the ownership changes, and that current owner Max Krippa funded most of the game's development budget. GSC also confirmed it is working on a major update and the first big story-driven DLC for Stalker 2.