Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 live launch coverage – Reviews, performance analysis and all the latest news
Ahead of tomorrow's launch, we spoke with Warhorse's global PR manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling and senior game designer Ondřej Bittner about the series' focus on historical authenticity. In the first game, which is largely set in rural Bohemia, this led to most of the stories being focused on white, Christian characters. The only exception were the Cumans, Turkic mercenaries, who were largely presented as barbaric raiders. Coupled with game director Daniel Vávra's conservative views and support for Gamergate, this led to KCD being characterised as a champion for «anti-wokeness»—this was despite the protagonist, Henry, being a relatively progressive character, given the historical period.
But Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's change in setting, where we get to explore a much more cosmopolitan city, Kuttenberg, allowed Warhorse to explore a more diverse set of characters, while also digging into the Cumen mercenaries, who are no longer simply villains. Unfortunately, this has inspired right wing reactionaries to attack the game for becoming «woke».
«Several years ago, we were branded differently,» says Stolz-Zwilling. «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.»
Warhorse has employed the same historical consultant since it first started developing KCD, but now that it's an established studio with more resources and a well-known game under its belt, its been able to spend more time digging into the history of Bohemia, with helps from universities, museums and academics.
«Everything makes sense. Everything we put there was double and triple checked,» says Stolz-Zwilling.
And it makes even more sense because of the larger scope and the urban setting that we get to explore in the game's second half. Kuttenberg was one of the most important cities in the Holy Roman Empire, a location where people from all over Europe and beyond came to learn and trade. And during this time of civil
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