Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Diversity is Just a Result of Historical Accuracy

Warhorse Studios Addresses Backlash Against Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Increased Diversity

Warhorse Studios, the developers behind Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2), are pushing back against recent online criticism regarding the game's enhanced diversity. In a February 3, 2025 interview with PC Gamer, PR Manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling expressed frustration with the ongoing negative attention. He 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 criticism from some fans and critics who labeled the game "woke" due to its inclusion of LGBTQ+ content and other elements.

Senior Game Designer Ondřej Bittner echoed Stolz-Zwilling's sentiments, asserting that the development team is not at fault. "We think the extreme voices are just never happy," he commented.

The Enhanced Diversity of KCD2

The game's setting in Kuttenberg, Bohemia's financial center, accounts for its increased diversity compared to its predecessor. Bittner explained, "There's more ethnicities in Kuttenberg because Kuttenberg is the royal mint." The city's status as a major economic hub attracted people from various regions, resulting in a more diverse population than other locations in the game's world.

Bittner highlighted the inclusion of diverse cultural elements, such as Italian characters, German-speaking individuals, and a Jewish quarter, emphasizing, "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 Warhorse Studios' approach to KCD2 was shaped by community feedback, not directives from their publisher, Plaion or Embracer. He stated, "Everything makes sense. Everything we put there was double and triple checked."

Pre-Orders Remain Strong Despite Controversy

Addressing rumors of refund requests following the backlash, KCD2 Writer Daniel Vávra took to Twitter (X) to clarify that the game's sales-return ratio remains unchanged. He attributed the game's lower position on Steam charts to concurrent sales of discounted popular titles, citing Monster Hunter: Wilds as a comparable example.

Vávra also refuted claims that KCD2 was banned in Saudi Arabia due to unskippable LGBT+ scenes. He reiterated that, "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 currently available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. For more details, visit our Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 page.