We still think KCD 2 comes close to our promise of 'Act 2'
A decade after asking strangers to believe in a vision, Warhorse Studios is answering that faith with something rare in the crowdfunding era: a promise kept. Over a thousand backers who helped birth Kingdom Come: Deliverance in 2014 will receive its sequel at no cost, not because the contract demanded it, but because the studio chose to honor the spirit of a commitment that time and circumstance could easily have erased. In an industry where the distance between a pledge and its fulfillment is often measured in disappointment, this quiet act of integrity asks a larger question about what it means to remember who believed in you first.
- A ten-year-old Kickstarter promise — vague enough to be forgotten, specific enough to still sting — has resurfaced as Warhorse Studios prepares to launch its sequel.
- The original pledge spoke of 'Act 2' and 'Act 3,' language from a time when the studio imagined expansions rather than full sequels, creating a gap between what was promised and what was built.
- Rather than hide behind that gap, Warhorse reinterpreted the pledge generously, deciding that a full sequel continuing Henry's journey honored the spirit of what backers had funded.
- 1,036 supporters who pledged $200 or more are now receiving emails confirming their free copy — a number small enough to be personal, large enough to be meaningful.
- The pattern set here quietly implies that higher-tier backers may one day receive a third game for free, extending a chain of accountability that the studio has chosen not to break.
A decade after Kingdom Come: Deliverance launched on Kickstarter, Warhorse Studios is doing something most game companies would have quietly avoided — making good on a promise. This summer, over a thousand original backers are receiving emails informing them that the sequel is theirs at no cost.
The terms are simple: anyone who pledged $200 or more in 2014 receives Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 for free via key upon release. That covers 1,036 people. The studio's message to them is warm and direct, thanking them for the crowdfunding support that made a new chapter of Henry's journey possible.
What gives the gesture its weight is that the original Kickstarter never explicitly promised a free sequel. It promised 'Act 2' and 'Act 3' — language from an era when Warhorse imagined expanding the first game rather than building standalone titles. When the studio pivoted to a full sequel, it faced a choice: let the old pledge lapse, or find a way to honor it. Community manager Christian Piontek put it plainly: the studio believed KCD 2 came close enough to the spirit of 'Act 2' to count.
The pledge tiers leave an open question for the future. Backers who paid $480 or more were promised 'Act 3.' If Warhorse continues this pattern, a third game could carry the same guarantee — though the studio has made no explicit commitment. For now, the 1,036 people receiving that email have something rarer than a free game: proof that someone remembered what they were promised, and chose to keep it anyway.
A decade after Kingdom Come: Deliverance launched on Kickstarter, Warhorse Studios is making good on a promise that most game companies would have quietly forgotten. The studio is sending emails this summer to over a thousand original backers, telling them their sequel is free.
The math is straightforward: anyone who pledged $200 or more to fund the first game back in 2014 gets Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 at no cost when it releases later this year. That covers 1,036 people. Warhorse is delivering the game via key to the email address on file. The studio's message to these backers is warm and direct: "Thanks to your gracious crowdfunding support," the email reads, "we now have gotten to a new chapter of Henry's journey."
What makes this gesture notable is that the original Kickstarter never explicitly promised a free sequel. Instead, it promised "Act 2" and "Act 3" — language that reflected how Warhorse originally conceived the game's future. The studio had planned to expand the first game with additional chapters rather than build standalone titles. When the company decided to make a full sequel instead, it faced a choice: reinterpret the old pledge or let it lapse. Warhorse chose to honor it.
Christian Piontek, the studio's community manager, explained the reasoning in straightforward terms. "We still think KCD 2 comes close to our promise of 'Act 2'," he said, acknowledging that the original vision had shifted but the spirit of the commitment remained intact. The studio could have argued that a sequel was a different product than the expansion chapters backers had funded. Instead, it decided that a full new game with a new story and world qualified as the next chapter of Henry's journey — the protagonist's arc — that backers had invested in a decade ago.
The pledge tiers create an interesting wrinkle for the future. Backers who paid $480 or more were promised access to "Act 3." If Warhorse continues its pattern of honoring these commitments, a third Kingdom Come game might eventually come with the same guarantee. The studio hasn't committed to that explicitly, but the logic is there: if Act 2 became a full sequel, Act 3 could too.
In an industry where crowdfunding campaigns often become cautionary tales about broken promises, Warhorse's decision stands out. The studio could have cited changing circumstances, evolving business models, or the simple passage of time. Instead, it chose to treat a ten-year-old pledge as a debt that still mattered. For the 1,036 backers receiving that email, it's a reminder that someone remembered what they were promised, and someone decided to keep the promise anyway.
Citas Notables
We still think KCD 2 comes close to our promise of 'Act 2', which was promised to the backers back then.— Christian Piontek, Warhorse Studios community manager
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a studio honor a pledge from a decade ago? What's the business case?
There isn't one, really — not in the short term. But there's a reputation case. These 1,036 people took a risk on an unknown studio. Warhorse could have walked away from that promise and faced no legal consequence. Honoring it costs them revenue, but it costs them nothing in court.
So it's purely about goodwill?
Partly. But it's also about what kind of company they want to be. In an industry full of broken Kickstarter promises, this is a signal. It says: we remember, we care, we keep our word.
Did the original backers expect this?
Probably not. Most Kickstarter campaigns that make it to a sequel quietly forget the old tiers. These backers likely assumed they'd get a discount at best, or nothing at all.
What about the people who paid less? Do they feel cheated?
That's the tension. If you backed at $50, you're not getting the game free. You're watching 1,036 people get something you didn't. But Warhorse set the tiers ten years ago. They're honoring the deal as written.
And the Act 3 promise — is that a trap?
Maybe. If they make a third game, they've already committed to giving it away to 480-plus-dollar backers. That's a constraint they're choosing to live with. But it also means they're betting they'll be successful enough to make a third game worth giving away.