Warhorse Says Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Was Shaped by Lessons From the First Game
The lead designer of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Prokop Jirsa, spoke in an interview with GamesRadar+ about how the second game was shaped by the experimentation done during the development of the first title, as well as by the internal growth of Warhorse Studios, which has expanded significantly since then.
Looking back at the development of the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Jirsa explained that the team was experimenting with almost everything. “In the first game, a lot of things were brand-new and we were experimenting and learning as we went,” he said.
Warhorse on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2: “We Knew What Worked”
It was an unavoidable approach for an ambitious project that was still in its early stage, where innovation also brought some natural flaws. “If you try something genuinely new, the odds of it being perfectly smooth from day one are slim.”
With the second chapter, however, development changed completely. With a much stronger foundation already in place and a larger budget, the team was able to build on much more solid ground. “We knew what worked, what didn’t, and where players expected us to raise the bar,” Jirsa said.
The result is a game that keeps “the heart of the original,” but one that, in the developers’ words, “had to stand taller.”
This major step forward was also helped by an important structural change: the studio’s acquisition by Plaion, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group. This move not only brought more financial resources, but also allowed the team to grow significantly.
By the time the sequel was released, Warhorse Studios had around 250 employees, roughly 100 more than during the first game’s development. This growth was supported by the introduction of new organizational systems and production pipelines, which were essential for handling a much more complex project.
The team had a much better understanding of the project’s progress and how all of its systems worked together, which helped them manage development more effectively and keep the larger project under control.
In other news, a new mod lets players explore Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 with friends, adding multiplayer, shared servers, weapons, armor, and future PvP plans.
