Warhorse Studios co-founder Martin Klíma marks the studio's 15th anniversary with a reflection on his extraordinary life, which spans from student activism in communist Czechoslovakia to the creation of the critically acclaimed RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
From Protest to Pixels
Klíma's early life in 1980s Czechoslovakia was shaped by limited access to Western media. Learning English was challenging, with educational materials focused on topics like combine harvesters rather than fantasy. His desire to read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings spurred him to improve his English, an endeavor he credits for enabling his current career. The discovery of Dungeons & Dragons further ignited his passion for role-playing games, leading him to translate the Basic Set with the intention of distributing it underground.
His activism began with a petition against the demolition of university buildings, an act that, in the climate of the late 1980s Soviet bloc, was considered a significant challenge to the government. Klíma was part of the independent student union Stuha, which played a role in the burgeoning calls for change. On November 17, 1989, participating in a demonstration commemorating a historical student protest against Nazi occupation, Klíma found himself at the forefront of events that would soon ignite the Velvet Revolution. The government's heavy-handed response to the student demonstration radicalized the populace, leading to a general strike and, ultimately, the peaceful transition of power in Czechoslovakia.
Forging a Path in Gaming
Following the fall of communism, Klíma's passion for role-playing games transitioned towards a professional path. Despite a lack of response from D&D publisher TSR, Klíma and his colleagues adapted their work, inspired by German RPG Das Schwarze Auge, to create their own tabletop game, Dračí doupě. The game's success in post-communist Czechoslovakia paved the way for Klíma's career in computer games, working on titles like Fish Fillets and UFO: Aftermath.
Frustration with publishers became a recurring theme. A significant setback occurred with the game Vision, whose publisher, CDV Software, went bankrupt shortly after demanding changes to the game. This period of disillusionment led Klíma and his colleagues to transfer their company to Bohemia Interactive before Klíma was approached about co-founding Warhorse Studios with Daniel Vávra. The studio's focus was a historically accurate RPG set in 15th-century Bohemia.
The Kingdom Come Venture
Finding publishers for Kingdom Come: Deliverance proved difficult, as Klíma recalled major companies being hesitant to invest in a historical RPG with unconventional design choices. After a two-year search, venture capitalist Zdeněk Bakala provided initial funding. Despite this, securing a publishing deal remained elusive. The studio turned to Kickstarter, successfully raising funds from over 35,000 backers.
Klíma believes the success of Kingdom Come: Deliverance stems from its appeal as a "grown-up RPG," offering a narrative about an ordinary person rather than a destined hero. He contrasts this with the perceived trend of games becoming too mainstream and easier to play, citing the original game's technical issues as an example.
Industry Challenges and the Future
Warhorse is now working on both a sequel to Kingdom Come: Deliverance and an RPG set in the Lord of the Rings universe, a project made possible by the success of their previous titles. However, Klíma expresses concern about the current state of the games industry, marked by layoffs and project cancellations. He attributes this to escalating development costs and market saturation.
Klíma also shared his views on the potential impact of AI in game development. He suggests that while AI may not reduce game development costs, it could enable the creation of larger, more ambitious games for the same budget. He remains cautious about the industry's reliance on AI, noting that many executives have a simplistic understanding of its integration. He foresees a continued trend of development moving to regions with lower labor costs, posing significant challenges for studios in North America and Western Europe.
Looking ahead, Klíma remains optimistic about Warhorse's trajectory, despite the industry's broader challenges, and is excited about the studio's dual-project future. He also noted that the game industry is facing limitations, with growth potentially stalled and fewer viable options for increasing revenue, even as technology demands more complex and expensive games.