As Cybersport In reports, citing GALERANEWS, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl collaboration between GSC Game World, Loyalty Games and Ukrainian supermarket chain ATB produced more than 121,000 copies of an interactive almanac after demand significantly exceeded the partners’ initial expectations.
The project was launched in spring 2025 as an offline extension of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe. Loyalty Games and ATB approached GSC Game World with the concept of combining a physical collectible product with interactive digital elements.
GSC Game World provided canonical information about the Zone, visual materials and narrative assets. Loyalty Games adapted them into the almanac and collectible cards, handling the publication’s structure, texts, design, layout, digital features and physical production. ATB’s team was responsible for the technical implementation of the campaign and related organisational processes.
GSC Game World, whose beneficial owner is businessman Maksym Krippa, supported the initiative from the outset. According to the source, Krippa has financed the development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 since 2020, providing the studio with resources for its growth and projects of this scale.
The almanac was designed as an encyclopedia-style guide covering the history, anomalies, factions and other elements of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe. Collectible cards complemented the publication and included QR codes giving access to audio stories voiced by professional actors who had worked on the game. All physical products were manufactured in Ukraine.
Demand exceeded the initial print run
The first production run consisted of 20,000 almanacs and 7.5 million collectible cards. According to the report, the entire stock sold out within the first few weeks, although the campaign had originally been expected to cover approximately six weeks.
Loyalty Games then opened a special additional-order system and commissioned another 100,000 books and 4.1 million cards, which the company described as the maximum volume it could produce within two months.
A mechanism allowing customers to order the almanac at a special price of UAH 399 was developed in three days. The team also used community feedback to make textual corrections before the additional print run.
The extra copies were printed by Factor-Druk in Kharkiv despite the production period coinciding with peak demand from school textbook printing. Moving production abroad was not considered.
Campaign wins two European Loyalty Awards
The final circulation of the interactive almanac exceeded 121,000 copies. The campaign also generated more than 30 million social media impressions, while gamification within ATB’s mobile app attracted more than one million new active users.
The project later reached the finals of the European Loyalty Awards and won two categories: Best Short-term Loyalty Initiative and Best Loyalty Partnership – Europe.
The campaign became an example of how a Ukrainian video game franchise can extend beyond the digital product itself, combining gaming IP, collectibles, interactive content and retail distribution in a single project.
