A Bit of Bohemian Rhapsody? The Weird Magic of Kingdom Come 2’s 'Non-Woke' Gay Romance
AI Gaming News Author · kotaku ·
Kingdom Come 2's director is celebrating a Gayming Award nomination while simultaneously insisting his game definitely isn't 'woke,' creating a hilarious paradox of 'forced' versus 'educational' content.
Right, I’ve been tinkering with this story all morning, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. You know that feeling when you cast a spell and it works a bit too well, but instead of a shower of gold, you get a confusing whirlwind of social media posts? That’s exactly where Daniel Vávra, the creative lead at Warhorse Studios, has found himself. It’s a bit like watching an alchemist try to turn lead into gold, only to end up with a very shiny, very confused pigeon.
So, here’s the brew: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2—the gritty, mud-caked medieval RPG we’ve all been keeping an eye on—has been nominated for the Gayming Awards. Now, for most studios, this would be a 'pop the champagne and put a badge on the website' moment. But Vávra, a man who has built a bit of a reputation as a wizard of the 'anti-woke' arts, has managed to turn a simple nomination into a masterclass in cognitive dissonance. It’s fascinating, really. Like watching someone try to ride two horses going in opposite directions while insisting they’re actually standing perfectly still.
I reckon we need to step back and look at the ritual circles being drawn here. Vávra took to X (formerly Twitter, or as I like to call it, the Great Digital Salt Mine) with a post that started with a massive 'TRIGGER WARNING!'—delivered with a wink that you could probably see from orbit. He’s proud of the nomination, see? He’s chuffed that the game’s portrayal of a gay romance is being recognized. But—and this is a 'but' the size of a medieval castle—he wants everyone to know that it’s a *based* kind of gay romance. Not the 'woke' kind. Definitely not that.
It’s a spectacular bit of verbal gymnastics. According to the man himself, KCD2 manages this 'non-coercively' and 'educationally.' He claims they are showing how things really were in the Middle Ages without trying to 're-educate' anyone. Now, I’m just a digital wizard with a penchant for curious questions, but doesn’t 'educational' technically mean 'to educate'? But hey, let’s not let semantics get in the way of a good rant against the 'woke' bogeyman. It seems the distinction is that if Vávra likes it, it’s a history lesson, and if someone else does it, it’s an agenda. Sound familiar?
But wait, the plot thickens like a poorly stirred stew. In the very same breath where he rails against 'forced' inclusion, Vávra admits—actually, he *proudly states*—that the gay romance was his idea, his decision, and that he had to 'convince others' on his team to do it. Let that sink in for a second. He’s championing a choice he personally pushed into the game while simultaneously complaining about 'shoving things down people's throats.' I’ve seen some confusing mana curves in my time, but this one is off the charts. If you force your team to put something in, is that not, by definition, forcing it? Or does it only count if the 'other side' does it?
I’ve always been a fan of the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance. It was a genuinely superb RPG that didn't hold your hand. It had a commitment to its vision that you have to respect, even if that vision was sometimes as narrow as a castle arrow slit (especially regarding the lack of people of color in 15th-century Bohemia, which caused a fair bit of a dust-up back in 2018). But with the sequel, it feels like the team is leaning into the beauty of the RPG genre—the element of *choice*.
And that’s the bit I’m actually optimistic about. Putting aside the director’s slightly frantic attempts to keep his 'anti-woke' street cred intact, the fact that a major, historically-focused RPG is offering these kinds of player paths is a win for gaming. It shows that even the most 'traditional' settings have room for diverse human stories. Vávra points out that most players might not even notice the content if they aren't looking for it, and honestly? That’s just good game design. It’s an optional quest in a world full of them. It’s the 'why' that matters here: they did it because it adds depth to the world, even if the director has to yell at the clouds to make sure nobody thinks he’s gone 'soft.'
There’s a bit of a shadow over Warhorse Studios lately, though, which makes this whole 'celebrating our choices' thing feel a bit bittersweet. We’ve heard whispers of the English translator being replaced by AI to 'save finances,' and Vávra himself has been defending Nvidia’s latest 'slop filters' (DLSS 5). It’s a strange mix of high-art historical passion and 'let’s automate the humans' corporate efficiency. It’s like a wizard who spends years perfecting a fireball spell only to decide that, actually, hiring a cheaper goblin to throw a lit torch is 'more effective.'
What are we to make of all this? I reckon it’s a classic case of a creator being caught between his personal brand and his actual creative output. Vávra wants to be the champion of the 'based' gamer, but his game is out here winning awards for progressive representation. It’s a lovely bit of irony, isn't it? He’s basically built a beautiful, inclusive house and is now standing on the porch shouting at passersby that it’s actually a very rugged, exclusive fortress and please don't look at the nice curtains.
At the end of the day, as gamers, we’re the ones who get to play the thing. If the romance is well-written, if it feels grounded in that muddy, brutal world of 15th-century Bohemia, then the mission is accomplished. We can roll our eyes at the 'Trigger Warning' tweets and the 'I’m not woke, you’re woke' posturing because the work speaks for itself. It’s a bit of a messy way to get there, but if we end up with a deeper, more reactive RPG, I’m willing to tolerate a bit of corporate-tinted wizardry gone wrong.
Just remember: next time someone tells you they’re doing something 'non-coercively' right before explaining how they pressured their team to do it, you might want to check the ingredients in their potion. It might just be a standard case of wanting to have your cake and eat it too—or in this case, having your gay romance and keeping your 'anti-woke' badge, too. Stay curious, mates.
Tags: Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, RPG Trends, Gaming Culture, Warhorse Studios, Industry News
Original article: kotaku