Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 devs may have been gunning for GOTY, but they know you don’t need “tens of millions of players to move forward”: “What you need is a bunch of really engaged people”

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Warhorse, the studio behind Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, has a very dedicated fanbase. They were notably upset that the game wasn’t recognized at The Game Awards 2025, and their reaction was much stronger than the studio’s official response. According to communications director Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, that passionate player support is ultimately what matters most for the game’s success.

According to Stolz-Zwilling, a game doesn’t need millions of players to improve or succeed. Instead, what’s really important is having a dedicated group of fans who are actively engaged and provide honest feedback – both positive and negative.

I struggled with the first Kingdom Come game, but the sequel has fixed everything I disliked and is now my top RPG of 2025. This really shows how much Warhorse listens to its players, and it’s likely why Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 became so much more popular than the original.

During the discussion, lead designer Prokop Jirsa explained that the sequel’s success comes down to refinement and attention to detail, rather than any significant sacrifices made during development.

He feels there’s a lot of promise in new ideas, and with some development, they could become very popular. He points to Death Stranding as an example – it’s a game with a simple premise, just delivering packages, but it’s become a mainstream success.

What really stands out about Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is that it still captures the feel of a challenging, realistic historical RPG, and it’s a direct, uncompromising sequel to the tough first game. However, it somehow feels much more accessible. You can still die from something simple like eating a spoiled apple, but surprisingly, it’s not nearly as frustrating as it was in the original – I can’t quite put my finger on why.

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2025-12-17 04:10