In what has been an increasingly tedious few weeks for Warhorse Studio, things look to only intensify as the release date of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 draws nearer. What began as a title that many gamers believed would usher in a new era of anti-woke gaming, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 now seems to have most people discussing it for all the wrong reasons. A series of leaks earlier this month from a Saudi Arabian gaming outlet began to give many fans of this series significant doubt in the upcoming sequel's faithfulness to the fans.
Among these leaks were several decisions that seemed to contradict statements that the developers had made regarding the previous title and it's protagonist, Henry. The retconning of Henry from hetero to bisexual/homosexual, the "forced diversity" that has been added to the game, and even the hostile tone and lack of transparency from Daniel Vavra, co-founder of the studio, has now led to a wave of backlash from unhappy gamers who feel that Warhorse has stabbed them in the back.
To make matters worse, we still don't seem to have much of an answer regarding the potential banning of this game in Saudi Arabia, a country known to restrict many games over content that they deem immoral or unacceptable. A rumor regarding a total ban in Saudi Arabia was denied by Daniel Vavra in a thread on X, in which he stated that the existence of such a ban was not known to him.
Nevertheless, this has been a constant concern for many gamers around the world who feel that Warhorse has not adequately put their concerns at ease. If you recall, PlayStation has been at the heart of several recent controversies in the gaming world as games such as Helldivers 2 and Ghost of Tsushima Legends required PSN account creation in order to play these titles through Steam. While Sony did decide to walk back some of these requirements, this doesn't resolve the issue that games which do require PSN accounts can not be played in over 100 countries around the world.
Now to make matters worse, I have been informed by someone in Saudi Arabia that PlayStation has removed KCD2 from their store entirely, while the first entry into the series is still available. To add further validity to these claims, a PlayStation user has also shared a screenshot after receiving a refund from Sony for their previously purchased Saudi Arabian copy of the upcoming title.
I went one step further and created a PSN account that was registered in Saudi Arabia, and to my dismay, I also discovered that you can not purchase KCD2 through the PlayStation Store. Despite my attempts to reach out to Warhorse, Daniel Vavra and PlayStation, there has been no official statement regarding the disappearance of this game from the PlayStation store. While this most likely is reflective of a decision that was not made by Warhorse Studio, the reality is that this could also foreshadow a Steam ban in Saudi Arabia as well, proving the initial rumors all the more true.
Whether the backlash will affect the sales of this game long-term remains to be seen, but it has certainly cloaked what could have been an incredibly successful launch in a shroud of distrust, anger, and disappointment for many.