Kingdom Come Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, announced yesterday, will be a larger and more inclusive representation of medieval life. As part of this, it is set to address one of the controversial elements of its predecessor: the lack of diversity.

In an interview with IGN, Warhorse was asked directly about his philosophy of historical accuracy in the first film and whether that philosophy has changed in the second. In response, Warhorse said, "Henry embarks on a journey from rural and local quarrels to a relatively cosmopolitan city besieged and occupied by an invading king. Naturally, in such a place, people can expect different peoples and different characters that Henry will encounter on his journey."

As background, there was criticism that the original game did not feature any people of color except for a handful of Turkic Cumans. In response, Warhorse vehemently defended its position on the grounds of historical accuracy. Daniel Vavra argued in a 2018 statement that the nationalities of the characters "reflect what we know about Bohemia in 1403." Vavra acknowledged that "the situation at the time seemed more heterogeneous in some other countries," but for the specific region of Bohemia that the game represents, there were no people of color at the time.

This stance was controversial among historians. Some argued that the ethnic representation of the area from which the Kingdom Come was drawn made sense given its largely rural nature. Others thought that the lack of evidence did not prove the absence of evidence.

In the sequel, Warhorse has not stated that its philosophy has changed; in a response to IGN, the studio explained that "KCD's story and plot have evolved, darker, deeper, more cinematic, but with pivotal decisions and plot twists that challenge players' consciences, It is also more brutal," he explains. More broadly, the studio states that it is "trying to portray a realistic, immersive and believable medieval world that is being rebuilt as we know it."

This is much the same position as in the first film, only the setting has been expanded to include areas with stronger evidence of internationalism. Nevertheless, Warhorse notes that for the research, the studio "worked very closely with universities, historians, museums, reenactors, and professional groups of different ethnic and religious beliefs," so perhaps the studio is drawing historically "accurate" representations from a broader pool of research

Furthermore, the studio has been working closely with a group of experts in religious beliefs.

Moreover, there is an implication that the game's diverse characters play more than peripheral roles in the story. After revealing that players will encounter "various races," Warhorse explains. "In KCD 1, Henry grew from a boy to a man, and now in KCD 2 he has grown from a man to a warrior. But he cannot accomplish this alone, and he needs a strong group of friends to help him on his journey."

Whether or not Warhorse's stance on the vexing issue of historical accuracy has changed, it is good to see that KCD 2 will be a more diverse game than the original; it won't be long until we see how Warhorse tackles this issue. It doesn't look like it will take long until we know how Warhorse is addressing this issue.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed a quote about the Silk Road and was incorrect about its route.