GSC Game World has a completely different take on Microsoft’s current-gen console, which the Redmond-based company considers the base model (while the Xbox Series X is called a half-generation upgrade, though both will hit stores in November 2020).

The Ukrainian team previously thought that the smaller Xbox Series console would not be able to run the long-awaited S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, but they have since turned the corner and now say that with the right optimization, any modern game can run on the Xbox Series S. In an interview with Windows Central, the studio explained that they initially saw the small Xbox as a mission impossible, believing that the game’s mechanics and the console’s inferior specifications would have made a port impossible.

Then they started to optimize the game, adding new features to stream information (within the console) so that they could use all the megabytes of system memory, finally making it possible to adventure in the Zone on the Xbox Series S. This gave GSC Game World important experience in optimization, which also helped the PC version, as it has much friendlier system requirements compared to other modern games.

The game runs at 60 FPS on the Xbox Series X, but drops to around 55 at times during gameplay and even lower during narrative events, but the studio says this doesn’t affect the experience. They hope to make further refinements before or after release. They went with 30 FPS on the Xbox Series S, and while they were able to hit 60 FPS on that console, it wasn’t stable enough for them. The studio is thinking about a 60 FPS performance path, but they don’t know when that will come out.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will be released on November 20th for Xbox Series and PC, but will also be available as part of Xbox Game Pass.

Source: WCCFTech, Windows Central