Warhorse co-founder calls ‘chosen one’ RPGs ‘still games for teenagers’
In short
Martin Klima, co-founder of Kingdom Come: Deliverance developer Warhorse Studios, said in an interview with PC Gamer that he is “bored and tired” of RPGs in which the player is a chosen one tasked with saving the universe. He said such games “are still the games for teenagers” even though today’s audience is older, and attributed the formula’s persistence to publishers recycling what has worked before. He added that he was not criticising Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Why it matters
The comments come from a senior figure at a studio whose Kingdom Come: Deliverance series was built in deliberate contrast to the chosen-one template, so they read as both criticism of rivals and a statement of Warhorse’s own design direction. As reported by three games outlets, they add to an ongoing industry argument about whether large publishers rely on established formulas. The documents give no indication that the remarks change any product plans.
Key facts
- Martin Klima is a co-founder of Warhorse Studios and executive producer on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and its predecessor. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said he is “bored and tired” of RPGs in which the player is the chosen one with the grand task of saving the universe, calling the pattern repetitive. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said such games “are still the games for teenagers,” while the audience today is much older. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said a turning point in his thinking was playing Progress Quest, a self-playing satire of EverQuest, which he called a distillation of the common RPG. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He attributed the formula’s persistence to publishers recycling what has worked before, citing Ubisoft as an example. [ 1 , 3 ]
- He praised the craftsmanship of Ubisoft’s games as “excellent,” mostly free of bugs with standout animations and character models, but said he would prefer that effort went into more innovative ideas. [ 3 ]
- He said he was not “hating on” Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. [ 1 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Martin Klima is a co-founder of Warhorse Studios and executive producer on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and its predecessor. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- In an interview with PC Gamer, Klima said he is “bored and tired” of RPGs built on a chosen-one power fantasy with the task of saving the universe. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said such games “are still the games for teenagers,” while the audience is much older today. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He cited Progress Quest, a self-playing satire of EverQuest, as a distillation of the common RPG and said many players want something new. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Klima’s criticism applies to specific recent RPGs, including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Klima said he was not “hating on” Expedition 33, while GamesRadar+ named Final Fantasy 7, Oblivion and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as games that follow the pattern — the outlet’s own characterisation, not his.
- What else Klima said in the interview beyond the published excerpts. The documents’ article texts are truncated mid-sentence in places, so further remarks are not available.
- Whether Warhorse Studios or Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will change anything as a result of the remarks. No document states any consequence or response from the studio, publishers or other developers.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- PC Gamer publishes its interview with Warhorse Studios co-founder Martin Klima (Oct 4). [ 1 ]
- GamesRadar+ reports Klima’s remarks, presenting them as a rejection of well-worn RPG tropes (Oct 5). [ 2 ]
- IGN reports the same interview, including Klima’s praise for Ubisoft’s craftsmanship (Oct 5). [ 3 ]