Somehow, the relatively small studio has space for two ambitious projects.
In the long tradition of creative studios stretched between ambition and capacity, Warhorse Studios has answered a quiet but persistent fear: that the Kingdom Come franchise might dissolve into something unrecognizable under the weight of a second major project. During a community stream in May 2026, the studio confirmed that two full open-world RPGs are in development simultaneously — one rooted in medieval Bohemia, one in Middle-earth — reassuring a fanbase that had been reading omens into every carefully chosen word. The absence of 'Deliverance' from the new title hints that this is not merely a continuation, but a reinvention — the same world, perhaps, but a new soul at its center.
- Months of ambiguous language from Warhorse — calling the new project an 'adventure' rather than a game — sent fans spiraling into speculation about tabletop adaptations, comics, or a long-dormant film announcement.
- The deeper fear was structural: a small studio attempting two massive open-world RPGs at once seemed like a recipe for one of them quietly disappearing.
- PR lead Tobias Stolz-Zwilling cut through the noise on a May community stream, stating plainly that both a Kingdom Come open-world RPG and a Middle-earth open-world RPG are in active development and coming.
- Warhorse restructured its creative leadership to absorb the dual workload — Prokop Jirsa takes the Kingdom Come franchise while Viktor Bocan leads the Lord of the Rings team, with co-founder Daniel Vávra pivoting toward screen adaptation.
- A release window of April 2027 to March 2028 places the new Kingdom Come game less than two years out, and the conspicuous drop of 'Deliverance' from its title signals a new protagonist and story rather than a third chapter in Henry's journey.
For months, Kingdom Come fans parsed every word Warhorse Studios released about its next project. When the studio announced it was developing two major open-world RPGs simultaneously — one in medieval Bohemia, one in Middle-earth — the fear was that the flagship franchise had been quietly deprioritized. Then came the careful phrasing: a new Kingdom Come "adventure" was in development. Not a game. An adventure. The community filled the silence with speculation: a tabletop RPG, a comic series, the long-announced film adaptation that had never materialized.
Parent company Embracer clarified that a video game was indeed happening, but the genre question lingered. Would it be a true open-world RPG in the mold of the first two titles, or something stripped down and unfamiliar?
The answer came during a May community stream, when PR lead Tobias Stolz-Zwilling offered a statement with no room for interpretation: two open-world RPGs, one set in the Kingdom Come universe, one in Middle-earth, both coming. Warhorse was not abandoning its identity.
To manage the dual workload, the studio reshuffled its creative leadership. Prokop Jirsa, a designer on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, becomes creative lead for the Kingdom Come franchise, while co-founder Daniel Vávra turns his attention to a potential screen adaptation. Viktor Bocan, who directed design on Deliverance 2, will head the Lord of the Rings team — a deliberate division of talent rather than a dilution of it.
If development holds, the new Kingdom Come game arrives between April 2027 and March 2028. And one quiet signal in the official messaging carries weight: the word "Deliverance" is gone from the title. That omission points toward a new protagonist and a new narrative arc — the same richly detailed Bohemian world, but a different story to tell within it.
For months, Kingdom Come fans have been holding their breath. When Warhorse Studios announced it was developing not one but two major open-world RPGs—one set in medieval Bohemia, the other in Middle-earth—the immediate fear was that the studio's flagship franchise had been quietly shelved to make room for the Lord of the Rings project. A small studio juggling two ambitious games seemed almost impossible. Then came the careful wording: a new Kingdom Come "adventure" was in development. Not a game. An adventure. The ambiguity opened a door to wild speculation. Was this a tabletop RPG? A comic book series? The film adaptation that had been announced six years earlier and seemingly forgotten? The uncertainty gnawed at the community.
Warhorse's parent company Embracer moved quickly to clarify that yes, a video game was actually happening. But that still left the fundamental question unanswered: would it be an RPG like the first two Kingdom Come titles, or something else entirely? In the absence of official word, fans imagined everything from survival horror spinoffs to narrative adventures stripped of the series' signature open-world structure.
Then, during a community stream in May, PR lead Tobias Stolz-Zwilling put the speculation to rest with a single, definitive statement. "You can expect two open-world RPGs," he said. "One is a Kingdom Come open-world RPG, the other one is a Middle-Earth open-world RPG. Both of them are coming." The message was unambiguous. Warhorse was not abandoning its roots. The studio was, somehow, making space for both projects to exist as full-fledged, genre-defining games.
The studio also announced significant leadership changes to manage the dual workload. Prokop Jirsa, who served as designer on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, is stepping into the role of creative lead for the Kingdom Come franchise. This move comes as studio co-founder Daniel Vávra shifts his focus toward adapting the series for film or television. Meanwhile, Viktor Bocan, who directed design on Deliverance 2, will lead the Lord of the Rings team. The reshuffling suggests Warhorse has thought carefully about how to split its talent without compromising either project.
Stolz-Zwilling also confirmed that if development stays on track, the new Kingdom Come game should arrive sometime between April 2027 and March 2028—less than two years away. That timeline is aggressive but not impossible for a studio that has already proven it can deliver complex, detailed open worlds.
One detail stands out in the official messaging: the absence of the word "Deliverance" from the new game's title. It's a small thing, easy to dismiss as marketing sloppiness, but it suggests something more deliberate. The original Kingdom Come: Deliverance games followed Henry, a blacksmith's son caught in the chaos of 15th-century Bohemia. The new game, it appears, will not be his story. Instead, Warhorse seems to be using the Kingdom Come universe as a setting for something new—a different protagonist, a different narrative arc, but the same commitment to historical detail and immersive open-world design that defined the series. With a release window less than two years away, fans won't have to wait much longer to see what the studio has built.
Citas Notables
You can expect two open-world RPGs. One is a Kingdom Come open-world RPG, the other one is a Middle-Earth open-world RPG. Both of them are coming.— Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, PR lead at Warhorse Studios
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
When you saw that word "adventure" instead of "game," what went through your head?
Honestly? Panic. You start imagining the worst. A mobile spinoff. A visual novel. Anything but what you actually want, which is another full Kingdom Come experience.
And now it's confirmed as an open-world RPG. Does that feel like a relief, or does the absence of "Deliverance" from the title worry you?
Both, actually. The relief is real—they're not abandoning the formula. But dropping "Deliverance" is a signal. This isn't Henry's story anymore. It's a new protagonist, a new chapter in the same world.
Do you think that's a smart move, or does it risk losing what made the first two games special?
It depends on execution. The world itself—medieval Bohemia, the historical detail, the immersion—that's what made Deliverance special. If they can build a new story in that same world with the same care, it could work. But if it feels like a cash grab using the name, it'll fall flat.
Warhorse is also making a Lord of the Rings game. How does a relatively small studio pull off two massive open-world RPGs at once?
That's the real question. They're shuffling leadership—new creative directors for each project. It's a gamble. Either they've figured out how to scale, or they're about to learn a hard lesson about ambition.