What Happened to Warhorse Studios?

Warhorse Studios was founded in July 2011 in Prague, Czech Republic, by industry veterans Dan Vávra, known for the Mafia series, and Martin Klíma, a former producer for Bohemia Interactive. Their vision was to create a historically accurate, non-fantasy medieval RPG, a concept that would eventually materialize as Kingdom Come: Deliverance (KCD).

After a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014 that raised over £1 million, Kingdom Come: Deliverance was released on February 13, 2018, to critical acclaim for its immersive world, detailed historical accuracy, and challenging gameplay. The game quickly achieved commercial success, selling over 2 million units within its first year. This success led to its acquisition by Koch Media (now Plaion, a subsidiary of Embracer Group) on February 13, 2019, for €42.8 million, allowing Warhorse to maintain creative freedom while benefiting from a larger corporate structure.

Throughout the following years, Kingdom Come: Deliverance continued to sell well, reaching 6 million units by February 2024 and surpassing 8 million by November 2024. The studio also collaborated with Saber Interactive to bring a Kingdom Come: Deliverance port to the Nintendo Switch, released in March 2024 as part of the Royal Edition. The highly anticipated sequel, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (KCD2), was officially announced in April 2024 and launched on February 4, 2025. KCD2 proved to be another massive success, selling 1 million units on its release day and over 5 million within its first year. It garnered significant accolades, including a Game of the Year nomination at The Game Awards 2025, a BAFTA Game Award for Best Narrative, and PC Gamer's Game of the Year for 2025.

As of May 20, 2026, Warhorse Studios is in a period of significant expansion and new development. The studio publicly confirmed that it is working on two distinct projects. The first is an open-world RPG set in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, a highly anticipated venture into the fantasy realm for the historically grounded studio. The second project is described as another 'Kingdom Come adventure,' though it remains unconfirmed whether this will be a full sequel (Kingdom Come: Deliverance III) or a spin-off. Daniel Vávra, the original director, stepped down in February 2026 to focus on a Kingdom Come film, indicating a new leadership era for game development. The studio, which employed around 250 people as of April 2024, is also set to become part of the newly formed Fellowship Entertainment, a spin-off from Embracer Group, expected to be listed in Stockholm in 2027, alongside other major IPs like Lord of the Rings.