Kingdom Come Dev Slams RPGs 'for Teenagers'

Ever feel like every big RPG is the same old "chosen one saves the universe" story? You're not alone. Martin Klima, co-founder of Kingdom Come: Deliverance studio Warhorse Studios, is right there with you.

In a chat with PC Gamer, Klima said he's "bored and tired" of RPGs that are just "power fantasy" trips "for teenagers." He loves the genre, but he's over games that set you up as the hero with a "grand task of saving the universe." It's a setup he calls "repetitive."

"It's really a distillation of what the common RPG is," Klima explained. "So, I found that there must be many, many people who are really tired of this formula and who want something new and different." He added: "The games that were and sort of are being made are still the games for teenagers. If you are 16, 17, you love playing these power fantasy games because it's something that you need. But the audience is much older today … everybody's going to think that I am hating on Expedition 33 right now, but that's definitely not the case."

So why does this formula keep sticking around? Klima blames big publishers for leaning on strategies that have worked before. He says they're "best at recycling the same formula over and over." He pointed to Ubisoft as an example, praising the "excellent" craftsmanship of their games—mostly bug-free with standout animations and character models—but wishing that same polish was applied to more innovative ideas.

"I played the original Assassin's Creed, and the original Far Cry, and the original Watch Dogs, and most of these games in the first iterations, and it was fun," he said. "But once you play the same game for the 10th time, it sort of becomes stale." He admitted he doesn't have "any easy answers" for companies that would be taking financial risks by experimenting.

Klima's comments come after he recently said he hopes GTA 6 will "blaze a trail" for increased game prices. Meanwhile, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, the studio's latest, earned a 9/10 from IGN when it launched last year.

It's clear Klima wants more variety in RPGs, and plenty of players probably agree. But will the industry listen? What do you think—are you tired of the chosen-one trope, or do you still love a good power fantasy?