Set in stone, it's still hard to believe that Warhorse Studios announced a follow-up. Kingdom Come: Redemption 2 Last month. It makes a bit more sense that this might not be a direct sequel, or that it wasn't even the biggest news story of the studio's reveal stream – confirmation that it's also working on an open-world Middle-earth RPG is, naturally, a bit of a showstopper. But a detail that's hard to shake isn't actually related to that incredibly exciting second title, and involves a bit more: the follow-up Kingdom Come: Redemption 2 Targeting the next fiscal year for Warhorse's release, placing it between April 2027 and March 2028.
That window holds another come to the kingdom A game in the hands of players after less than three years KCD2 Started in February 2025. On paper, it sounds like a gift from Warhorse to a previously long-awaited fanbase — after all, it took the studio seven years to go from the original game to its sequel. That said, a sub-three-year turnaround for a threequel that (in theory) should be bigger or better in one way or otherwise sounds ambitious deserves a second look.
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What follows are seven years of development that actually build on Kingdom: Redemption 2
For reference, Kingdom Come: Redemption 2 There was no small game that took a long time to make. It nearly doubled the size of the already ambitious, indie-developed original map, earned multiple Game of the Year nominations (some, even won), and sold over five million copies in its first year. It was truly the product of seven years of singularly focused development, and its layered quest design, authentic bohemian history on display, and density of everyday medieval life made the world feel inhabited and engaged rather than assembled.
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By the numbers alone, this is clearly the opposite of what a three-year development cycle looks like. Warhorse communications director Tobias Stolz-Zwiling directly acknowledged that timeline during the community stream of the announcement post — though, credit where it's due, his phrasing was straightforward enough to be disarming:
“If all goes well, it will come next fiscal year. That means you won't have to wait seven years for the next one. come to the kingdom the game That's great!”
It's hard to argue with the spirit of the statement, but even so, the conditional at first—”if all goes well”—seems like it could do more. The saving grace is that the studio has already built a solid foundation with the first two Kingdom Come: Redemption games, and if it really wanted to, it could use it as a template for another instead of building a third entry from the ground up.
Warhorse is also working on an open-world Middle-Earth RPG
What's more, Warhorse is developing an open-world RPG set entirely in JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth, and the director of the last two games, Daniel Vavra, stepped into a different role to oversee work on a film adaptation. come to the kingdom suffrage All at once, these are ambitions that would make even the most seasoned, bankrolled AAA developers nervous. Despite its many triumphs over the years, Warhorse Studios certainly isn't, and even Stolz-Zwiling admitted that “this is new for Warhorse Studios” during the same stream.
A sub-three-year turnaround for a threequel that (in theory) should be bigger or better in one way or another sounds ambitious enough to merit a second look.
Just in terms of games, two parallel open-world RPGs from a studio whose reputation was built on the precision and patience of its historical world-building is a logical stretch in any situation. Warhorse has grown and evolved a lot – from about 120 employees KCDThe projection of today is approaching 300 – but raw headcount does not automatically produce the kind of focused craft that is built. KCD2 Considered as felt. It's not just about labor, splitting development on two ambitious projects simultaneously means splitting or doubling up on creative direction, development practice, and more.
As abstract as that division can make things better, the creative work behind each project makes the challenges more concrete. Prokop Jirsa, who served as chief designer KCD2will lead the new come to the kingdom title, which is a reassuring sign that someone deeply familiar with the series' design DNA is steering it. But Victor Bokan, KCD2director of design, moved to lead the Middle-earth game, meaning two of the most senior creative architects. KCD2 Now instead of consolidating their trends into one, they are running separate projects.
What three years of development looks like in practice
The most practical explanation of how Warhorse delivers new come to the kingdom An open-world RPG won't be built from scratch in less than three years. Elements such as engines, animation rigs, combat systems, and NPC simulations KCD2 are already in place — and without wanting to diminish, the new map with a new story built on that existing framework is actually how the studio compresses the development cycle without abandoning what the franchise does best. The bones are already standing.
But optimism should be tempered in some cases, and KCD Threequel certainly qualifies, since working from KCD2The Foundation risks leaving the resulting game feeling closer to an expansion than a sequel. This is a fair concern, especially considering how internally connected it is KCD And it already has a sequel: in an interview with GamesRadar, Stolz-Zwilling called KCD2 “The game we've always wanted to make.” Three years is absolutely enough time for a credible team to build something worthwhile, but it's hard to convincingly pitch something with the bone-deep density that defined the series in half that time.
“if all goes well”
Additionally, it's important to note that, right now, Warhorse's target for the title is Embracer's fiscal year, which spans from April 2027 to March 2028. There are enough cautionary examples in the books regarding the game industry's relationship with open-world RPG timelines that “fiscal year goal” should probably read more like an aspirational project. It's a historically fickle target that's been made even more dependent on things landing straight, as of last month, Warhorse's parent company is in mid-restructuring.
Now a case of needing another KCD
Ultimately, none of these concerns change the facts come to the kingdomSoon, fans took to the result without hesitation. The developers haven't done anything to offend fans of their faith, KCD2 A meaningful foundation left open, and the prospect of returning to that world—whether it's a direct sequel or not—before the decade is out feels like a skepticism worth having. No one is bothered by these announcements, but it seems difficult to split focus between the third game, the film adaptation, and the biggest IPs on the planet. Essentially, it's a lot of “firsts” — maybe too much for a studio that's only recently skyrocketed into the (albeit deserving) AAA space.
The most practical explanation of how Warhorse delivers new come to the kingdom An open-world RPG won't be built from scratch in less than three years.
Warhorse can stick the landing with a new one come to the kingdom Entry and a Middle-earth RPG developed simultaneously that will begin to answer in the coming months. The studio's track record totally deserves the benefit of the doubt, and it's not a question of whether fans want it; Of course they do. But if April 2027 comes and goes without a release, the real question of what was worth the rush and what wasn't will be much sharper.
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February 4, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Use of alcohol, blood and gore, sexual content, strong language, intense violence, partial nudity
- developer(s)
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Warhorse Studios
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