Interview with Tobias Stolz-Zwilling
The Bohemia is not just a song by Charles Aznavour; it's also the setting of the Kingdom Come franchise, whose first installment captivated over 8 million players. The 15th-century Bohemia returns to your screens on February 4th in this second installment, where realism, vengeance, and immersive exploration intertwine in a world twice as vast and captivating as its predecessor. Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, Public Relations Manager at the Czech studio Warhorse, offers some insights into the enticing Kingdom Come : Deliverance II.
"A game about knights and castles that is rooted in real events."
If you had to pitch Kingdom Come : Deliverance II in one sentence?
TobiasGet torn into a brutal civil war in one of the most immersive historical RPG to date.
Where does the idea come from and how has it evolved?
TobiasThe original idea comes from Daniel Vavra who always wanted to make a game about knights and castles that is rooted in real events. Most RPGs are based on fantasy elements, and he wondered why no one tried to make a realistic RPG… so he did it himself.
What gameplay elements are returning in this sequel?
TobiasPretty much everything from Kingdom Come : Deliverance was taken and improved for Kingdom Come : Deliverance II. Plus we added a new locations, characters, minigames, weapons and the story is so much more deeper and more humorous.
What is in Kingdom Come : Deliverance II that we will never see, that you have put aside and why?
TobiasWell, I hope that you will see everything we put in the game.
"In this sequel, the story is so much more deeper and more humorous."
What values/messages do you wish to convey through the game?
TobiasPlay more games!
After the release of the first Kingdom Come : Deliverance, tourism skyrocketed in the region where the story took place. Did you expect that?
TobiasApparently, it was 800% higher than before, but you need to take into account that the region was not really known as a great tourist destination except Sazava Monastery. Now with Trosky and Kutna Hora (Kuttenberg) it will be interesting to see how this develops as both are regular tourist destinations. As a matter of fact, Kutna Hora (Kuttenberg) already reports that more and more Kingdom Come : Deliverance fans are already visiting the town, ahead of the game.
"Day one patches are standard in these times."
Let's talk about Kuttenberg, the main city in the game. How did the reconstruction work go, knowing that the municipality had few archives to offer, if I'm not mistaken?
TobiasThat is correct, the town helped us greatly and cooperated with us where possible. We did a lot of archeological research as we have to build the city back into its 1403 look. Even though it's a historical city they still modernized a few things here and there through the centuries. Some buildings even completely vanished and we had to reconstruct them. Best case scenario would be if there are archive data somewhere, however sometimes we had to come up with our best possible guess, based on regional architecture for instance.
What lessons have you learned from the release of the first game, which was criticized for its numerous bugs despite a big day-one patch? More generally, what leverage do you have to make the publisher aware of the game's readiness and the possibility of delaying the release if necessary?
TobiasDay 1 patches are standard in these times – especially on consoles (physical media) as you have to put the games on CD's several months before the actual release. But generally, the game is in a very good stage and the release is around the corner.
"We did a lot of archeological research as we have to build the city back into its 1403 look."
What is the current status of the game adaptation into a movie or TV series? Is it still in the works?
TobiasUnfortunately, it was put on hold due to covid. Now we are focusing only on the launch of Kingdom Come : Deliverance II.
What do you play when you're not working? / What game do you recommend while waiting to play yours?
TobiasI do like Crusader Kings III, Anno 1800 and XCOM 2 a lot. And probably playing Crusader Kings III as a Bohemian noble could be a quite good time consumer before Kingdom Come : Deliverance II hits the stores.
When your game is released, tell us the 3-4 keywords that will come to player's mind when they launch it?
TobiasI / Feel / Quite / Hungry.
