Well, I certainly didn’t expect to wake up to this news today. Warhorse Studios, the developer responsible for what I and many others consider to be some of the best RPGs ever made, casually announced on X that it is currently working on a Middle-earth, Lord of the Rings-style RPG, as well as a “new Kingdom Come adventure.” While I was thoroughly surprised to learn that the open-world Middle-earth game is indeed real—especially after Warhorse denied the rumors in class Andrew Garfield fashion—I wasn’t as surprised about the Kingdom Come news, though no less ecstatic. The Kingdom Come: Deliverance games are two of my all-time favorites, after all, so, in my mind, I’ve already pre-ordered the next one.
However, there’s something crucial about the way that Warhorse has framed this next game it’s working on, as it refrained from calling it Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3. Of course, that hasn’t stopped fans from referring to it as such on socials, and, to be fair, I can understand why. All we have known up to this point is Henry of Skalitz and his Kingdom Come: Deliverance story, so imagining anything outside that is difficult when the series has, so far, been inseparable from him. Nevertheless, Warhorse has officially labeled this a “new Kingdom Come adventure” for now, implying it will, in fact, move beyond the world of Deliverance and into something we haven’t yet seen—and that, to me, is better news than Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance Dev Confirms New Franchise Entry and Lord of the Rings RPG
Warhorse Studios confirms rumors of a new Kingdom Come: Deliverance title along with a new game in the Lord of the Rings universe.
“A New Kingdom Come Adventure” Implies a Future Without Henry
Now, it’s worth bringing up that Warhorse’s description of the next Kingdom Come game as a “new Kingdom Come adventure” could be nothing more than marketing caution. From what I understand, it is currently in full development, but it would make sense for it to still be in the earliest stages of development. As such, Warhorse would naturally want to avoid setting expectations too soon, and giving its next game a broad context is a safe way to do that. At the same time, I have suspected for quite some time that the next Kingdom Come game wouldn’t be Deliverance 3 but would instead inherit a different subtitle, and there’s a reason for that.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
The following contains spoilers for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
As much as some hardcore fans like myself probably wouldn’t like to admit it, Henry’s journey is effectively over, as it ended with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Everything that ignited his journey in the first game was resolved by the time the sequel concluded, and a heartwarming reunion with the memory of his parents and the emotional introspection that followed all but sealed the envelope. To top it all off, Warhorse and Tom McKay, the actor behind Henry, seemingly confirmed (or at least strongly implied) that McKay had finished his final voice over and mocap session for Henry the character, not the game, as the studio was wrapping things up on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s third DLC.
End of spoilers for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
If that truly is the case, then Henry is out, and if Henry is out, the next Kingdom Come game won’t be Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3, but a new Kingdom Come game with a different subtitle. This would signal a brand-new story in the style of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, as well as a new protagonist and historical setting. Does a new story inherently mean Henry can’t be the protagonist? Not necessarily. But if Warhorse wants to avoid their next game being labeled Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3, even if it ships with a different title, it would be smart to go in a completely different direction narratively, and that would require a new lead character.
A Bittersweet Farewell That’s More Sweet Than It Is Bitter
But that’s where this news about a “new Kingdom Come adventure” is potentially better news than a Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3 announcement. As much as I would love to see Henry stick around, I actually don’t want Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3. I want Warhorse to show the world what it can do with a different setting and an all-new narrative. I’ve enjoyed my time in medieval Bohemia, but treating Kingdom Come as a franchise, rather than limiting its legacy to Deliverance as a series, means the developer has more freedom to experiment with different ideas.
In times like these, what we think we want is a Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3, but we’d probably be disappointed with the results. If we’re being honest, what we really want is Henry, but if Warhorse made us adore one protagonist so much, it’s safe to say it could probably do the same with an entirely different one. That’s the danger of a true sequel to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. It would almost have to keep chasing the emotional attachment players already have to Henry, even after Deliverance 2 gave his story such a fitting point of closure. At that point, the sequel might be less about where the franchise should go next and more about finding reasons to keep one beloved character around. That may sound comforting in theory, but it could easily make Kingdom Come severely undercut its potential.
It’s the Commander Shepard problem in a nutshell. Mass Effect has never been able to fully escape Shepard’s shadow, because the original trilogy tied so much of that universe’s identity to one protagonist, one crew, and one era of galactic history. Kingdom Come could risk doing the same thing if it treats Henry as the only way forward, especially when Deliverance 2 already gave him the kind of ending many beloved protagonists never get. Sometimes, the best thing a franchise can do after telling a great story is resist the urge to keep reopening it.
As much as I would love to see Henry stick around, I actually don’t want Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3. I want Warhorse to show the world what it can do with a different setting and an all-new narrative.
If this really is the direction Warhorse is taking, then a “new Kingdom Come adventure” is probably the best outcome fans could have hoped for, even if it hurts a little to imagine the franchise without Henry of Skalitz at the center. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 gave him a worthy ending, and forcing a third Deliverance game after that could risk turning closure into obligation. Letting Kingdom Come move forward with a new protagonist, a new subtitle, and a new historical backdrop would give Warhorse a chance to prove the series was never great because of Henry alone but great because of how human, grounded, and alive its world felt around him.
- Released
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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
