S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 features 120 Ukrainian songs: who made it to the soundtrack and how much it cost

The game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has collected more than million downloads in the first two days and presented a large-scale selection of Ukrainian music to the world.

Work on the game’s music content began in November 2021, when Geisha Ninja Samurai received an order from GSC Game World. Initially, the plan was to create a soundtrack for the trailer and teaser only, but later the concept expanded to a full-fledged in-game radio, reports Forbes.

The playlist (here he’s on Youtube Music) covered various musical styles and eras — from the modern rock of The Hardkiss to a cappella songs performed by «Piccardian Tertsia». The soundtrack includes compositions by Jerry Heil, Khrystyna Soloviy, TNMK, and songs by Ukrainian composer and performer Mykola Mozgovyi. A special place in the music selection was taken by underground bands «Hatespeech» and Ziferblat.

After the full-scale invasion began, the concept of the game changed. They had to refuse to collaborate with foreign artists due to financial constraints. The developers decided to focus on recreating the atmosphere of the 1980s and 1990s through the Ukrainian underground, post-punk, and folk music. «Expensive production wouldn’t have worked here – the idea of the song was important,» explains Andriy Zaitsev, co-founder of Geisha Ninja Samurai.

Interestingly, the low recording quality of some tracks became an advantage. It is these compositions that best convey the mood of the time and organically fit into the atmosphere of the game. The folklore direction was provided by the GM Digital label, which helped to create a radio station that, according to Zaitsev, «could be listened to by an ordinary person in a Lviv-Kolomyia bus».

Zaitsev does not disclose how much it cost to use the songs in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and on what terms they collaborated with Ukrainian artists. According to Mariana Voronina, CEO of the Best Music label, the cost of licensing one track for a video game can reach several thousand dollars. «The last time we licensed five tracks for $2000 in 2020, and these were excerpts of 10-15 seconds,» she notes.

Some Ukrainian artists even agreed to participate in the project for free.

The current playlist of 120 songs is not the final version. The developers plan to expand the music collection with each update of the game. For comparison, The Last of Us soundtrack contains 30 tracks, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — 35 tracks.