It's official, folks, we're less than a week away from Stalker 2 hitting Xbox Game Pass - and Microsoft's gaming boss thinks that the open-world shooter could be a real GOTY contender in 2024.

Speaking with Game File, Phil Spencer was asked about the upcoming title and its development troubles over in Ukraine. Phil said it's "just remarkable" that Stalker 2 is actually going to ship, and the Xbox boss thinks "it's going to be on some people's lists of their favorite game of the year", to boot.

"The fact that the game is shipping all up is just remarkable,

The quality has really come a long way, and I'm proud that we got to partner to get that game done. I think it's going to be on some people's lists of their favorite game of the year."

Remember, Phil himself played the game way back at Gamescom earlier this year, so he should know what he's talking about when it comes to Stalker 2. It stands to reason that the game has likely improved a lot since that showing - Phil certainly seems to think so anyway.

And, we sure hope he's right. From what we played of Stalker 2 at Summer Game Fest, we thought it was a must-play title on Xbox Game Pass - so if it's improved a lot since the summer, we could well be looking at a potential GOTY candidate on the service next week.

Are you all pre-loaded and ready to go with Stalker 2? Tell us if you're excited for it down below!

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[source gamefile.news]