Developers from Warhorse Studios are frustrated with the backlash surrounding Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Dive into Warhorse Studios' perspective on the controversy and its impact on the game.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Diversity is a Result of Being "As Accurate As Possible"
Warhorse Studios’ Developers Just Want To Make A Cool Video Game
The team at Warhorse Studios is tired of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2) being criticized online and simply aims to create an engaging video game. In a recent interview with PC Gamer on February 3, 2025, Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, KCD2's PR Manager, shared his thoughts on the backlash regarding the game's increased diversity.
Stolz-Zwilling stated, "Several years ago, we were branded differently. Now we are branded that way. It seems like someone is always trying to brand us somehow, and we are just trying to make a cool videogame." This statement follows criticism from fans and reviewers about the inclusion of LGBTQ+ content and other elements deemed "woke".
Senior Game Designer Ondřej Bittner echoed this sentiment, suggesting that the loudest critics are never satisfied. He remarked, "We think the extreme voices are just never happy."
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Diversity
Set in Kuttenberg, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 features a more diverse setting than its predecessor. Bittner explained, "There's more ethnicities in Kuttenberg because Kuttenberg is the royal mint." As the second most important city in Bohemia and the country's financial center, Kuttenberg attracts people from various parts of the world, resulting in a more diverse population compared to other locations in the series.
Bittner highlighted the inclusion of various cultures and ethnicities in the game, such as Italians, German speakers, and a Jewish quarter. He emphasized the importance of representing not just these groups but also their worldviews, which are often missing in media claiming to be diverse.
Stolz-Zwilling clarified that the game's diversity was not mandated by their publisher, Plaion, or Embracer, but was influenced by community feedback. He assured, "Everything makes sense. Everything we put there was double and triple checked."
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Pre-Orders Unaffected By Recent Backlash
Warhorse Studios addressed rumors about players seeking refunds for pre-ordering Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 amid the controversy. KCD2 Writer Daniel Vávra took to Twitter (X) to clarify that the game's sales-return ratio remains unchanged despite the backlash. He noted that KCD2's position on Steam charts had slipped due to nine popular games being discounted, which also affected Monster Hunter: Wilds pre-order sales.
In January 2025, Vávra faced criticism for including queer representation in KCD2, sparking rumors that the game might be banned in Saudi Arabia due to unskippable LGBT+ scenes. Vávra debunked these rumors, stressing that "Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a ROLE PLAYING GAME, so it is purely up to the player what decisions they make and for all the decisions they make, they are responsible for the consequences that correspond to the morals and social norms of the time."
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is now available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. For more details about the game, visit our Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 page.