"There is cause for hope," S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s troubled developer GSC Game World teased today, helping salve fears that the studio was shutting down and its rad radioactive survival shooter series would be gone for good. It's a Festivus miracle!

"Dear Stalkers: We will not be releasing any official news until around mid January. However there is cause for hope! Good hunting!" GSC cryptically posted on Twitter.

Exactly what's happening at GSC remains unknown. Unconfirmed reports early this month said that GSC Game World had shut down after it failed to find a publisher for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 on consoles, and it wouldn't be profitable as a PC exclusive.

Then, GSC vowed "We will do our best to continue," and would at least keep its tech support, forums and store going. Further reports said that Sergei Grigorovich had been dissatisfied with progress on the sequel and so closed GSC, and even that "Ukranian law enforcement was interested in taking control of the company."

Of course, we don't yet know what January's good news is. Fingers crossed that GSC has been saved and will continue work on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.