Alongside its big reveals like Halo Infinite and the long-awaited return of Fable, Microsoft had a few surprises in store as well during its Xbox Games Showcase. One of those came in the form of STALKER 2, the anticipated return of the survival shooter series that has laid dormant for some time, and is now confirmed to be coming as a console launch exclusive to the Xbox Series X.During the Xbox Games Showcase, Microsoft shared a new cinematic trailer for STALKER 2, the long awaited sequel to the cult classic open-world shooter STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl. While the trailer doesn't show any gameplay from the title, the teaser trailer gives a good indication of the mood and tone of STALKER 2, which as you might guess, is very post-apocalyptic and grim. Alongside the new cinematic footage, the trailer also confirmed that STALKER 2 will be coming first to Xbox Series X for its console debut, and will be available on Xbox Game Pass.

STALKER 2 has been in the works for some time, with the game being formally announced in 2018. However, since then we've seen one screenshot from the game that surfaced earlier this year. Developer GSC Game World, the creators of the original title, are returning once again for the sequel, but it remains to be seen if we'll get to see any in-engine or gameplay footage from the title or whether it will actually hit next year.

That being said, given the admiration for the original game, fans of the cult classic series should have a lot to look forward to in STALKER 2. According to the developer, the anticipated sequel will feature "one of the biggest seamless open-worlds to date," and that players' choices "will influence both short-term consequences and global outcomes" across The Zone.

STALKER 2 is currently in development for Xbox Series X and PC, and is currently aiming for a release sometime in 2021.