"Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Embraces Historical Accuracy in Diversity"

Developers at Warhorse Studios are expressing frustration over the backlash surrounding Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2). Dive into the details of 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 facing criticism for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and their primary goal remains to create an engaging video game. In a recent interview with PC Gamer on February 3, 2025, KCD2’s PR Manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling shared his thoughts on the backlash concerning 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 video game." This follows criticism from fans and reviewers regarding the inclusion of LGBTQ+ content and other elements labeled as "woke".

Senior Game Designer Ondřej Bittner echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that the team isn't the issue amidst the recent controversy. "We think the extreme voices are just never happy," he remarked.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Diversity

Set in Kuttenberg, KCD2 offers a more diverse setting than its predecessor. Bittner noted, "There's more ethnicities in Kuttenberg because Kuttenberg is the royal mint." As the second most important city in Bohemia and its financial hub, Kuttenberg attracts people from various parts of the world, contributing to its diversity.

Bittner also highlighted several cultural and ethnic elements in the game, including people from Italy, German speakers, a Jewish quarter, and more. He stressed, "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 the game's direction was not influenced by their publisher Plaion or Embracer, but rather by community feedback. "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 of players seeking refunds for pre-ordering KCD2 amidst the backlash. KCD2 Writer Daniel Vávra took to Twitter (X) to clarify that the game's sales-return ratio remains unchanged despite the controversy. He noted that KCD2's position on Steam charts had been affected by discounts on nine popular games, which also led to a drop in pre-order sales for Monster Hunter: Wilds.

In January 2025, Vávra faced criticism over KCD2's inclusion of queer representation, which fueled rumors of the game being banned in Saudi Arabia due to unskippable LGBT+ scenes. He debunked these rumors, emphasizing, "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 information about the game.