Deliverance Was Almost Set Elsewhere

When it comes to setting, for games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance, it’s everything. In the end, it all boils down to the fact that the goal of developer Warhorse Studios has always been to deliver a franchise that has its roots in history and its aim set on authenticity. Ultimately, this led to Kingdom Come: Deliverance and its sequel being set in 15th-Century Bohemia, and since the studio is located in Prague—the capital of the Czech Republic and the historic heart of the former Kingdom of Bohemia—it gave them a leg up from the get-go. However, according to design director Viktor Bocan in a recent interview with Edge magazine (via GamesRadar), medieval Bohemia wasn’t always on the table.

Set in the Kingdom of Bohemia during the early 1400s, Kingdom Come: Deliverance tells its story in a specific stretch of Central Europe with real castles, villages, forests, and political turmoil of the time. Regions inspired by locations like Rattay and Skalitz reflect period-accurate geography, architecture, and social structures, highlighting Warhorse Studios’ commitment to historical authenticity. That specificity is what makes the setting feel inseparable from the game itself—and why it’s worth noting that Bohemia was not the only historical backdrop the studio initially considered before settling on it.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance Was Almost Set in 15th-Century Germany or England Instead

According to design director Viktor Bocan, Warhorse Studios did explore other historical backdrops during the early stages of Kingdom Come: Deliverance‘s development. Two of the primary alternatives were medieval Germany and an England inspired by the era commonly associated with Robin Hood, both of which would have fit the early-15th-century timeframe that the game ultimately landed in. On paper, those locations offered recognizable settings that could support a medieval RPG, but in practice, they posed challenges that conflicted with the studio’s broader design philosophy.

Bocan explained that the team’s priority with Kingdom Come: Deliverance was never history for history’s sake. Instead, historical accuracy served a larger purpose: making the world feel believable and reactive. “I believe the most important part of the design is that you really feel you are there, and all the systems are there to support that,” Bocan told Edge. The goal was to build a world that responds naturally to player actions, rather than one that merely resembles a medieval setting on the surface.

Naturally, making a world that felt that believable required an immense amount of research. Warhorse Studios employs an in-house historian, Joanna Nowak, who works closely with the development team to ensure accuracy across everything from architecture and clothing to social customs and religious practices. Her research extends into local archives, universities, and historical records, allowing the studio to reconstruct daily life in medieval Bohemia with a high degree of confidence. Being based in Prague, which served as the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia, gave the team direct access to the region’s history in a way that would not have been possible elsewhere.

As such, moving Kingdom Come: Deliverance‘s setting to 15th-Century England or Germany instead would have essentially meant starting the whole process from scratch, which, while it could have been accomplished, likely would have taken far more time and resources. As Bocan put it, Warhorse “knew nothing” about those regions at the time, at least not to the standard required to support the studio’s vision for the game. Rather than compromise on authenticity or stretch their resources too thin, the studio chose to build on what it understood best.

That decision went on to become the backbone of nearly every aspect of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, from its world design to the context of its story. While Bohemia was always a more convenient option for the team, it wasn’t merely chosen for convenience’s sake, but because Warhorse knew it could pursue that vision with more confidence. In hindsight, it also became one of the defining elements that helped the game and its sequel stand apart from other medieval RPGs when they launched.

Released

February 13, 2018

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol

Developer(s)

Warhorse Studios