Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 sparked heated debate on social media even before its release, due to the inclusion of a same-sex romance scene. However, nearly a year after the game hit the market, executive producer Martin Klíma from developer Warhorse Studios assesses that all the uproar truly only mattered to a small portion of players. In an interview with PC Gamer in early 2026, Klíma defined this group as “terminally online culture warriors,” whose impact on the historical RPG’s final numbers would have been minimal.
The controversy erupted in 2025, when plot details leaked, leading to rumors of pre-order cancellations. At the time, writer Daniel Vávra had already dismissed these claims. Now, in retrospect, the Czech studio’s team reveals that, despite the noise on social media, the overwhelming majority of players didn’t even notice the discussion. Therefore, the internal experience ranges from a feeling of a “besieged fortress” for some to complete unawareness of the case for others.
The real impact behind the online noise
According to Klíma, if the controversies surrounding the Kingdom Come franchise affected the games’ sales or reception, it was only to a “small degree.” He argues that the general gaming audience has an insignificant overlap with these niche debates that take over specific forums and parts of Twitter. Thus, the producer believes the buzz may have actually drawn more eyes to the game, albeit unintentionally.
Despite this, the executive admits that arguments deemed “unfair and dishonest” by the team created a certain wear and tear. Warhorse had previously stated, saying it was “fed up” with being dragged into culture wars and wishing not to be associated with these fights. In the end, the revelation that a specific online drama does not shake the commercial performance of a major game is not surprising, but it brings relief by showing that the essential – the development and quality of the product – remained intact.
Looking to the future, the Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 case in 2025 becomes a relevant example for the industry. It illustrates how online tempests in a teapot do not always translate to the real world of players who simply want to have fun. Thus, the lesson for other studios is to focus on narrative and gameplay, while the noise on social media follows its natural course, without defining a work’s success or failure.
