It gives us the opportunity to clear the air.
In the digital town square of a Reddit AMA, Warhorse Studios found itself answering not just for a game, but for a choice that touched something raw in the creative community — the quiet displacement of a human worker by a machine. The firing of an English translator, allegedly in favor of AI tools, transformed a celebration of craft into a confrontation about the cost of convenience. Creative director Prokop Jirsa pledged to hire human translators going forward, even as the studio defended limited AI use in early production, navigating the uneasy terrain where economic pragmatism and human dignity meet.
- A single dismissal — one translator let go, allegedly replaced by AI — was enough to turn a fan Q&A into an industry-wide referendum on human labor in game development.
- Questions arrived sharp and sardonic: fans asked which developer would be next to be replaced, and suggested the studio simply hand the next game's translation to Gemini Premium.
- Warhorse retreated behind HR language on the firing itself, but creative director Prokop Jirsa offered a concrete pledge — real human translators, at least as many as before, on the next project.
- A pinned studio statement insisting AI would never appear in a final game landed unevenly, with fans already pointing to what looked like AI-generated artwork discovered in the released title.
- Despite winning a BAFTA for Best Narrative the week prior, the studio left the AMA bruised — though Jirsa framed the chaos as worthwhile, calling it a chance to clear the air with people who genuinely care.
What began as a routine Reddit AMA for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II quickly became something heavier. Warhorse Studios had barely opened the floor to fan questions before the conversation turned to a single, charged subject: the firing of an English translator, widely believed to have been replaced by AI tools to cut costs.
Fans arrived with pointed questions and dark humor in equal measure. One asked which developer could most easily be swapped out for an algorithm. Another suggested the studio just use Gemini Premium for the next game's translation. A commenter who identified as a translator said they felt personally hurt by the news.
The studio's responses were measured but uneven. On the firing itself, the team cited internal HR constraints and declined to elaborate. But creative director Prokop Jirsa offered something more tangible: Warhorse was actively recruiting human translators and committed to staffing the next project with at least as many as worked on Deliverance II. A pinned statement added that AI might assist in early production, but would never appear in a finished game — a reassurance that landed awkwardly given that players had already flagged what appeared to be AI-generated artwork in the released title.
Not everything was friction. Designer Ondřej Bittner hinted at a future project — a large, immersive RPG he couldn't yet name — and there was genuine discussion about the game's Rabbit UI system, a feature that signals the player's threat level. It had divided the team internally, with some feeling it gave Henry knowledge he shouldn't have, but playtests settled the debate in its favor.
By the close, one commenter called the whole session a train wreck. Jirsa didn't disagree, but he stood by the decision to show up. The studio had debated whether to hold the AMA at all, he said, and chose to do it precisely because the discomfort was worth it — because the people asking hard questions were the same ones who cared enough to keep the industry honest. The BAFTA for Best Narrative sitting on the shelf that week felt, for the moment, very far away.
Warhorse Studios sat down on Reddit to answer fan questions about Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, but the conversation quickly became something else entirely—a reckoning over the studio's use of generative AI and the firing of an English translator.
The translator's dismissal had already rippled through gaming communities online. Fans arrived at the AMA with a single question on their minds: why had the studio let someone go and replaced their work with artificial intelligence? The questions came in waves, some pointed, some darkly humorous. One person asked which of the five developers could most easily be replaced by AI, and when that would happen. Another suggested the studio might as well use Gemini Premium to translate the next game. A translator themselves, one commenter said they felt "hurt and saddened" by the news.
Warhorse's responses followed a careful script. When asked directly about the firing, the team retreated into HR language, saying the matter touched on internal personnel issues they couldn't discuss publicly. But creative director Prokop Jirsa did offer something more concrete: the studio was actively hiring new English translators—"actual humans," he emphasized—and planned to have at least as many human translators on the next project as they had on Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.
In a pinned statement, the studio's account attempted to reframe the conversation. They didn't see AI as a replacement for human work, they wrote. Some team members found it useful during early production stages. But crucially: AI-generated content would not appear in the final game, and they had no plans to change that policy. The statement landed awkwardly. Some fans downvoted the responses anyway. Others pointed out that the firing had come after players had already spotted what appeared to be AI-generated artwork in the game itself.
The conversation wasn't entirely consumed by the controversy. Designer Ondřej Bittner teased upcoming projects with deliberate vagueness—something big was coming, he said, but he couldn't say when or what. When asked about rumors of an open-world Lord of the Rings game, the team offered only that they were "hard at work on... something. I cannot disclose details but I can tell it is a huge, immersive RPG." There was also technical discussion about the Rabbit UI system, which shows whether the player is safe, hunted, or in combat. The feature had sparked internal debate: some worried it revealed information Henry, the protagonist, shouldn't know, and that it pulled attention away from the actual world. But playtests loved it, so it stayed.
By the end, one commenter called the whole thing a "train wreck." Jirsa didn't shy away from the assessment. The studio had debated internally whether to do the AMA at all, he said, but they decided it was worth the risk. "It gives us the opportunity to clear the air," he wrote. He acknowledged that gamers care deeply about the industry and the people making it, and yes, that passion sometimes creates toxicity. But it also creates something valuable—genuine, interesting engagement between creators and the people who play their games. The week before the AMA, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II had won a BAFTA Games Award for Best Narrative, a recognition that felt distant from the friction now playing out online.
Citações Notáveis
We do not see AI as a substitute for human work, and we are currently looking to expand the company, including our translation team.— Warhorse Studios official account
It was a really hot topic in our offices whether to do this AMA, but it gives us the opportunity to clear the air.— Creative director Prokop Jirsa
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did the firing become the center of the entire conversation? Couldn't they have just answered other questions?
Because it touched something real. A person lost their job, and fans suspected it was because a studio chose a tool over a person. That's not abstract—that's someone's livelihood. The other questions didn't matter as much.
But the studio said they're hiring more translators now. Doesn't that count for something?
It does, but it also reads like damage control. The translator was already gone. Saying you'll hire more humans going forward doesn't undo that choice or explain why you made it in the first place.
What about the AI-generated art people mentioned? Was that confirmed?
Fans spotted it and called it out publicly. The studio didn't deny it happened, but they also didn't fully address it in the AMA. They just said AI won't be in the final game going forward, which sidesteps the question of what was already there.
Do you think the AMA actually helped?
Jirsa seemed to think it was worth doing, even knowing it would be rough. Sometimes the point isn't to win the argument—it's to show up and be honest about the tension. Whether that actually happened is what people will decide.
What's the real issue underneath all this?
It's about control and trust. Developers are experimenting with AI to save money and time. Workers are watching their skills become commodities. Fans are watching both sides and trying to figure out what they're actually supporting when they buy a game.