Warhorse co-founder Daniel Vávra criticized claims that Kingdom Come Deliverance 2’s pre-orders dropped due to backlash against its diverse cast.

Following early media previews, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 has been at the center of heated discussions. The controversies began with the inclusion of Black characters and an allegedly mandatory queer romance scene. Rumors spread suggesting that these features caused a decline in pre-orders, prompting Warhorse co-founder Daniel Vávra to step in and refute the claims.

On January 10, the embargo on Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 previews was lifted. Since then, fans have scrutinized every available detail of the medieval RPG.

While the 2018 original faced criticism for its lack of diversity, the sequel is now under fire for embracing inclusivity. Critics have labeled the game as ‘woke,’ reacting negatively to its portrayal of diverse characters and same-sex romance.

A video released on January 19 suggested that this backlash resulted in “massive pre-order refunds,” citing diversity and the game’s Steam community rules against “modern political or religious debates” as factors.

Vávra countered these claims on January 20, stating: “Our pre-orders haven’t dropped because of backlash. The sold/returned copies ratio is the same as before. What actually happened is that the preview buzz naturally faded, and nine heavily discounted games entered the chart. Monster Hunter also dropped.”

He also addressed gameplay concerns in a January 19 thread: “There are NO unskippable cutscenes in our games. Anyone claiming otherwise hasn’t played them.” On the subject of queer characters, he added: “Gay characters existed in KCD1. If you want Henry to explore a same-sex romance, that’s your choice. If not, you can ignore it.”

“[Kingdom Come Deliverance 2] takes place in one of Europe’s wealthiest cities, which was under siege by a foreign army. This setting is naturally more diverse than the villages featured in the first game.”

This context explains Musa’s presence, a Black character seen in leaked screenshots. “Musa arrived in Bohemia with an invading army as a member of King Sigismund’s court, whom he met during his service under Sultan Bayezid. He’s an educated nobleman from the Kingdom of Mali.”

At the time of writing, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 ranks tenth on Steam’s wishlist chart and 37th among top sellers, behind Monster Hunter Wilds and other blockbusters like Civilization 7.

Source: PCGamesN