The 2018 medieval action RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance is getting a follow-up this year that promises to be twice the size of the original game, hinting at a bigger map, more features, and a greater number of quests. While the original courted controversy over depicting a recreation of 15th Century Bohemia devoid of people of color due to ‘historical accuracy,’ Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s grander scope means “a wide range of ethnicities.”
Responding to a question from IGN over whether developer Warhorse Studio’s “debated” philosophy on historical accuracy has changed, spokesperson Tobias Stolz-Zwilling says the following:
“The story and plot of KCD has evolved—it’s darker, deeper, and more cinematic, yet also crueler with pivotal decisions and plot twists that challenge the players’s conscience. Nevertheless, it retains its humor and down-to-earth approach. As mentioned already, Henry is embarking on a journey from the countryside and local quarrels to a relatively cosmopolitan city that is besieged and occupied by the invading king. Naturally, in a place like this, people can expect a wide range of ethnicities and different characters that Henry will meet on his journey.”
Stolz-Zwilling goes on to say that Kuttenberg plays a “very important role” in Henry’s story, which restricts him from going further into it over “spoiler reasons”. Taking a step back, though, this is a story of Henry growing from a man to a warrior, and that needs a “strong cast of friends to help him on his journey.”
“We are trying to depict a realistic, immersive, and believable medieval world that is being reconstructed to the best of our knowledge,” he continues. “And naturally to achieve that we are not only having our own in-house historian, but we are very closely working together with universities, historians, museums, reenactors, and a group of experts from different ethnicities or religious beliefs that we are actively incorporating into development as external advisors.”
Kingdom Come: Deliverance faced criticism before and after launch due to the lack of people of color and the minimal role of women. Warhorse insisted this was done in the pursuit of historical accuracy, but critics suggested that Europe’s medieval history may be more diverse than often thought.
Even further from launch, the co-founder and creative director went on to say that “there is no propaganda” in the game regarding his political views as it was a team effort, a team made up of people with differing philosophies.
