Fans of GSC Game World's S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl who haven't yet had their fill of shooting radioactive mutants will be pleased to have installed Steam today, as the prequel has been announced as exclusive to the digital distribution platform. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky will still be coming to retail shelves early this year, but it won't be available online outside of Steam, a nice get for the boys and girls at Valve. For a look at the first-person shooter's ability to render grass and all things abandoned, check out a baker's dozen screen shots in the gallery below. Official word on the game is after the jump.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. CLEAR SKY to be RELEASED DIGITALLY AS STEAM EXCLUSIVE

Prequel to Hit Survival FPS will Launch Simultaneously on Steam and in Retail Outlets Worldwide

January 24, 2007 - GCS Game World and Valve announce that S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky will be available for digital download worldwide exclusively on Steam® (www.steamgames.com), a leading online platform for the distribution and management of PC games. The official prequel to the Survival FPS game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is currently slated for simultaneous release on Steam and at retail outlets later this year.

"Steam has introduced S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to many thousands of new fans all over the world," said GSC Game World's CEO Sergiy Grygorovych. "We chose to deliver the digital version of the game exclusively on Steam because of its proven success not only as the leading global digital distribution platform for games, but because it allows us to directly reach its integrated and active community of gamers."

"It's great to see a forward-thinking game maker like GCS Game World launching simultaneously in digital and traditional retail channels," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "By launching S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:Clear Sky on Steam on the same day that it's available in stores worldwide, GCS Game World ensures that gamers can get their hands on this highly-anticipated game in the way that's most convenient for them."

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky brings the players one year prior to the events of the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game in 2011. A group of stalkers has, for the first time, reached the very heart of the Zone-Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant-and brings about a cataclysm on the brink of a catastrophe. Through a rich narrative and gripping combat action, players uncover new challenges and insights in the Exclusion Zone. A new version of the game engine, X-Ray 1.5, powers superior graphical details and realistic and non-scripted combat AI.

More information and a collection of new images may be found here: http://www.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=game&AppId=9390&l=EN&cc=US

About GSC Game World
Founded in 1995 in Kiev, GSC Game World is the leading computer game development company in Ukraine. The very first commercial game project of GSC Game World was the critically acclaimed and hugely popular historical real-time strategy game Cossacks: European Wars, released in 2000.
The launched projects developed by GSC Game World, among others, include Cossacks: The Art of War, Cossacks; Back to War, American Conquest, American Conquest: Fight Back, Alexander (Oliver Stone's movie tie-in), Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars. The two recently released titles by GSC Game World are Heroes of Annihilated Empires (self-published worldwide) and the top-selling S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. Currently in development is the official prequel S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky for PC.
Official web-site: www.gsc-game.com

About Steam
Steam is a leading platform for the delivery and management of games and digital content, and has pioneered its broadband services to over 13 million customers with core and casual games from today's leading publishers and developers.

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