Developers at Warhorse Studios are expressing frustration over the backlash surrounding Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2). Dive into this article to understand 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"
The team at Warhorse Studios is tired of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2) facing online criticism and simply wants to focus on creating an engaging video game. In a recent interview with PC Gamer on February 3, 2025, Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, the PR Manager for KCD2, shared his thoughts on the game's backlash due to 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 follows criticism from fans and reviewers regarding the inclusion of LGBTQ+ content and other elements considered "woke."
Senior Game Designer Ondřej Bittner echoed these sentiments, pointing out that the team isn't the issue. "We think the extreme voices are just never happy," he remarked.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Diversity
Set in Kuttenberg, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 offers a more diverse environment 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 a financial hub, Kuttenberg attracts people from various parts of the world, enhancing the city's diversity.
Bittner highlighted several cultural elements incorporated into the game, including individuals from Italy, German-speaking people, a Jewish quarter, and more. He emphasized, "I think that it's important to not just include these people, but their vision of the world, which can sometimes feel lacking in games or media that call themselves diverse."
Stolz-Zwilling clarified that neither their publisher Plaion nor Embracer instructed Warhorse Studios to include specific agendas. Instead, community feedback influenced their approach to KCD2. "Everything makes sense. Everything we put there was double and triple checked," he affirmed.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Pre-Orders Unaffected By Recent Backlash
Warhorse Studios has addressed rumors about players requesting refunds for pre-ordering the game due to the recent backlash. KCD2 writer Daniel Vávra stated on Twitter (X) that the game's sales-return ratio remains unchanged despite the controversy. He noted that KCD2's position on the Steam charts was affected by discounts on nine popular games, which also impacted pre-order sales for Monster Hunter: Wilds.
In January 2025, Vávra faced criticism due to KCD2's inclusion of queer representation, leading to online rumors about the game being banned in Saudi Arabia because of unskippable LGBT+ scenes. Vávra debunked these rumors, stating, "It 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. Visit our Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 page for more details about the game.
