Warhorse Studios knows exactly what it's doing when it makes Kingdom Come: Deliverance brutally difficult. The studio's new creative director has now spelled out why the developer stands firm on a design philosophy that deliberately pushes players away rather than embracing universal accessibility.
Prokop Jirsa, who has been at Warhorse since 2014, laid out the core difference separating his studio from most others in the industry. Where competitors use playtesting data to identify friction points and smooth them away, Warhorse does the opposite. The studio views struggle as a feature, not a bug.
"If you overcome the friction, or the friction is intentionally there, then the friction helps you," Jirsa explained in an interview with PC Gamer. "Because you overcome the friction, you feel better about yourself, you feel that you've actually overcome some actual problem or difficulty."
The math is straightforward. Playtesting typically reveals what Jirsa calls "friction points" where players get confused or frustrated. Standard industry practice means removing those obstacles. Warhorse instead keeps them in, banking that the satisfaction of pushing through difficulty creates a more meaningful experience than a frictionless ride.
It's a trade. The studio accepts that it will lose players hunting for smooth, effortless gameplay. Those players have plenty of other options. Kingdom Come isn't for them.
"You will lose some players that are really not there for any friction, they just want to have this smooth experience," Jirsa said. "And there's nothing bad about smooth experiences! They have their place... but we are intentionally different."
The bet appears to be paying off. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 earned a 9 out of 10 from IGN, with reviewers praising its melee combat and story execution. The second game delivers on promises the original made, refined through experience.
The studio hasn't announced its next project, though industry chatter has linked Warhorse to a potential Lord of the Rings RPG. Separately, franchise director Daniel Vávra stepped away from his role in February to develop a Kingdom Come movie. Despite some recent scrutiny over generative AI use, Warhorse has established itself as willing to bet against industry trends when the creators believe in the vision.
Author Emily Chen: "Warhorse's refusal to sand down every sharp edge proves that the most engaged players sometimes crave friction, not polish."
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