Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 developers made my favorite RPG of 2025 by trusting their original vision: “We had the strength to say, ‘Yes, that’s what we want'”

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 didn’t win any awards at The Game Awards, but for me, it’s still the best RPG of the year. In fact, it was my top pick for Game of the Year! I’ve been completely engrossed in this medieval RPG throughout 2025, and even after finishing the game, I keep thinking about how it stands out from other RPGs with its unique, more realistic approach.

Whether it wins awards or not, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a remarkable achievement for Warhorse Studios. Before the game’s release, I spoke with lead designer Prokop Jirsa and communications director Tobias Stolz-Zwilling to understand why they were so sure of the game’s strong base, building on the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

Henry’s come to visit

A key feature of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is its deliberate pace. The game is known for starting players with nothing, dropping them into a large world to fend for themselves. Early on, you might find yourself desperately searching for a few coins to buy a shovel, even considering grave-robbing to afford food. This creates an unusual feeling – it almost seems like the game is challenging you rather than trying to entertain you in a traditional way.

That idea isn’t accurate. It’s actually quite hard to literally starve in the game, and fighting becomes much simpler once Henry gets armor. While the beginning is challenging, and some players might struggle, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 isn’t meant to frustrate you. It encourages you to take your time, enjoy the details, and create your own unique experiences. If you’re open to it, it’s a truly rewarding game.

Warhorse made a deliberate choice to prioritize a slower, more immersive experience in their game, even though some on the team worried players had grown used to fast-paced action. They believed that offering something different required faith that people still wanted RPGs focused on realism and exploration. Jirsa acknowledges it was risky, but the positive reception to Kingdom Come: Deliverance – where feedback mostly centered on technical glitches rather than the game’s slower pace – gave them confidence.

We faced a lot of debate about the game’s difficulty, specifically whether it was too harsh to start players with so little – even taking away their safe haven. During playtesting, some players were immediately arrested for minor mistakes and didn’t like it. However, we were determined to stick with our vision. We wanted players to feel truly vulnerable at the beginning so that overcoming those challenges and becoming stronger would be genuinely rewarding, according to Jirsa.

Instead of simplifying key gameplay elements, the developers of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 focused on making the game more user-friendly. According to Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, the sequel is more polished and intuitive, making it easier to understand what’s happening and where to go. He believes the new game is better in every way.

Is it future or is it past?

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 still has some complex elements that might not appeal to all RPG players. You’ll need to manage basic needs like eating and sleeping, and keeping your equipment maintained, or you’ll face problems. Plus, the combat system takes time and practice to master. Despite these potentially challenging aspects, it’s impressive how popular the game has become.

Jirsa acknowledges that their game wasn’t the first to popularize challenging gameplay, noting that FromSoftware, with titles like Dark Souls and Elden Ring, successfully brought a previously niche style to a wider audience.

He thinks many unique ideas have the potential to become popular if they’re developed further. He points to Death Stranding as an example – it’s a game with a simple premise, just delivering packages, but it became a huge mainstream success.

Both Jirsa and Stolz-Zwilling commend Plaion, the publisher of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, for giving Warhorse the time and creative freedom to realize their vision. The game has proven to be a financial success, surpassing all expectations. With titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Baldur’s Gate 3 achieving popularity despite not conforming to typical genre standards, the line between niche and mainstream games seems to be blurring. According to Stolz-Zwilling, a large player base isn’t essential for success; instead, a dedicated and passionate fanbase – offering both constructive criticism and enthusiastic support – is what truly matters.

Jirsa sees a real chance to help thriving independent game studios bring their creative ideas to life. He defines these studios as those with a decent-sized team – around ten people or more – that could achieve great success with the right funding and support.

He explained that innovation is much more challenging for established companies. When you have a large organization with thousands of employees, it’s risky to ask half of them to suddenly pursue something completely different. It’s easy to criticize big companies for a lack of originality, but the stakes are high. It’s not always a matter of leadership not understanding games; often, it’s a sensible decision to continue focusing on what they already do well.

It’s hard to say what Warhorse Studios will do next. While I’m eager to see where Henry’s story goes in a potential Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3, I hope they create another world as convincingly as they did Bohemia. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s success wasn’t easy; it stood out by doing things differently. Looking back at the original game, developer Daniel Jirsa perfectly sums it up: “We started on Kickstarter, a little-known Czech company asking for support for a game no publisher wanted… and ten years later, the sequel is nominated for Game of the Year.”

Stolz-Willing is excited to see how the team continues to grow. He emphasizes that they don’t quickly replace people, but rather have a lot of new team members who are fresh to the video game industry. He believes their potential is unlimited and hopes the team remains stable and cohesive.

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2025-12-14 18:11