Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Embraces Historical Accuracy in Diversity

Developers from Warhorse Studios are expressing frustration over the backlash that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is receiving. Dive into their 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

Warhorse Studios’ developers are tired of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2) being the target of recent online criticism, and their primary focus remains on creating 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 stemming from 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 follows after fans and critics voiced concerns over the inclusion of LGBTQ+ content and other elements they deemed "woke".

Senior Game Designer Ondřej Bittner echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the team isn't the issue. "We think the extreme voices are just never happy," he noted.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s Diversity

Set in Kuttenberg, KCD2 offers a setting that naturally includes a broader range of diversity compared to its predecessor. Bittner explained, "There's more ethnicities in Kuttenberg because Kuttenberg is the royal mint." As the second most significant city in Bohemia and the country’s financial hub, Kuttenberg attracts people from various parts of the world, resulting in a more diverse population than seen in earlier parts of the series.

Bittner highlighted several cultural elements in the game, including people from Italy, German-speaking individuals, a Jewish quarter, and more. He stressed the importance of not just including diverse groups but also reflecting their worldview, which he feels is often missing in media claiming to be diverse.

Stolz-Zwilling added that their approach to diversity was influenced solely by community feedback, not by directives from their publisher Plaion or Embracer. He emphasized, "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 KCD2 due to the recent backlash. KCD2 Writer Daniel Vávra clarified on a Twitter (X) post that the game's sales-return ratio remains unchanged despite the controversy. He noted that KCD2 had not been as prominent on Steam charts recently due to discounts on nine popular games, which also affected pre-order sales of Monster Hunter: Wilds.

In January 2025, Vávra faced criticism over KCD2's queer representation, sparking rumors that the game was banned in Saudi Arabia for unskippable LGBT+ scenes. Vávra refuted these claims, 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. For more information about the game, visit our Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 page.