Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 director sparks controversy over confirmation of same-sex romance

With the launch of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 on the horizon, Warhorse Games' upcoming ambitious medieval open-world RPG has found itself in a bit of a controversy. Following the confirmation of same-sex romance by game director Daniel Vavra on social media, some fans have expressed outrage over this news seemingly suggesting that the studio is bending the knee to appease a "modern audience" instead of leaning into "historical accuracy" like its predecessor.

The uproar has been loud enough for the director to release a statement clearing the air around the game, the content within it, and how fan accusations are unfounded. Read on to know more.

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Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 controversy erupts over same-sex romance, director speaks up

Vavra's statement on Facebook (Image via Meta)

The drama arose after reports of the game being banned in Saudi Arabia cropped up around the internet, citing the cause as being "unskippable" cutscenes depicting same-sex intercourse. Now, the upcoming open-world RPG as well as its 2018 predecessor takes place in 15th Century Kingdom of Bohemia (now known as the Czech Republic) during the Hussite movement.

As an ultra-orthodox Christian nation, everyone from players to developers is aware that same-sex acts were historically forbidden among larger Bohemian society with gruesome punishments for those caught. With the confirmation from the director that a same-sex scene is indeed in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, various fans of the first game seem to be enraged and upset.

Following the above tweet, Vavra made about a dozen or so replies explaining in detail why certain decisions were made. The most important one being is that he, as director, was not influenced or forced by anyone to incorporate same-sex content in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.

He also tackled other accusations that have surfaced recently, including the claims that Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 has been banned in Saudi Arabia and that it features unskippable cutscenes — both of which are untrue as the game is available to purchase in the region and that they are following the philosophy of the first game by allowing cutscenes to be skippable.

He closes the line with a couple of statements, the first of which aims to ease fears about historical inaccuracy in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2:

"Everything displayed corresponds to the morals and social norms of 1403 Bohemia and is only there to make an interesting story, and not at all to appeal to a “modern audience".

He continues, addressing the unruly behavior of fans online:

"We don't want KCD to be used as clickbait by people who didn't even play it yet. Some of them sadly turned into exactly the same narrative they pretend to be fighting against. The amount of hateful behavior is really sad and it will damage any cause associated with it."

That said, yes, the same-sex content in question concerns returning protagonist Henry, with players able to pursue same-sex relations as him in the game. However, it is important to note that pursuing this line of action is completely optional. While fans expected this scenario to feature gay NPCs (akin to the original game), this new revelation has caught many off-guard, with players complaining about the game "going woke".

The religious theme of the franchise has unfortunately attracted plenty of extremists with controversial views about sexual and gender minorities. This has, perhaps expectedly, resulted in a barrage of anti-LGBT and racist comments erupting under Vavra's series of explanations on his X post, with some even insulting the director's religious background via anti-semitic slurs.

Coming back to the topic at hand, however, this addition does not change Henry as a protagonist nor does it mean that the game deviates from historical accuracy. In the original game, the protagonist is aware of how same-sex relations are treated in his nation and it even features several gay characters, as was a fact of reality back then.

This scenario was sensibly written in the 2018 title while bearing in mind the sentiment of that period as these gay NPCs feared for their safety as they could be outed to the public. Some fans have argued that Henry was heterosexual in the first game and as such, offering a same-sex path for him makes no sense in the sequel.

However, this fails to account for the fact that in real life, people may become aware of their same-sex attraction as they grow older. As such, in the sequel, Henry could pursue a same-sex relationship despite knowing the risks. This only strengthens his character further as the main hero of this adventure where players decide his fate.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is, at the end of the day, an RPG with a focus on realism so we can expect this matter to be handled maturely. That said, this choice might also affect how he is perceived in the narrative given how the original game had an eye for impeccable attention to detail.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 launches on February 13, 2025, for PC, PS,5 and Xbox Series X|S platforms