Bethesda has long been considered the king of RPGs, but Kingdom Come: Deliverance developer Warhorse Studios may be coming for the crown. In fact, the studio has already laid down the gauntlet, as communications director Tobias Stolz-Zwilling has gone on record multiple times saying they fully intend to be the new king of RPGs. Of course, much of that confidence is still held under an umbrella of humility as the team continues to emphasize that they believe they aren’t quite there yet. I would personally disagree, however, as I already believe Warhorse makes a better open-world RPG than Bethesda, and my opinion could be more universally shared once the developer launches its Lord of the Rings game.
But there are a lot of things that factor into that claim. Bethesda is still widely considered the default studio for immersive open-world RPGs, and there’s a reasonable explanation for that. Bethesda’s name is attached to some of the most recognizable RPGs ever made, with Skyrim alone reportedly surpassing 60 million copies sold by 2023. Even Starfield, despite its more divisive reception, crossed 15 million players, proving Bethesda still commands a level of mainstream attention most RPG studios simply can’t touch. And yet, not only has Warhorse already proven that it can make a great RPG, it is now going to apply its iconic formula to one of the most famous fantasy worlds ever created with its Lord of the Rings game, and that popularity alone could be enough to push Warhorse into the mainstream RPG space currently dominated by Bethesda.
The New Open-World Lord of the Rings Game May Be the Most Grounded Franchise RPG Yet
Warhorse may be the rare studio capable of making Middle-earth feel less like a fantasy playground and more like a place players actually live in.
Kingdom Come Already Proved Warhorse Can Make a Great RPG
I haven’t always felt this way, but especially after playing both Kingdom Come: Deliverance games, I find it to be a bit of an ignorant take when a game is called an “RPG” simply because it features RPG elements. For example, as much as I love games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and even some of the more modern Assassin’s Creed games, they aren’t RPGs. Most often, these are action-adventure games with RPG mechanics. So, while I agree that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 deserved its Game of the Year win, I believe the Best RPG award it also took home should have been given to Warhorse for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 instead.
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)
My reasoning for that comes down to what an RPG truly is, and ultimately, how Warhorse’s own definition of what an RPG is aligns with that. Strictly speaking, a true RPG allows players an immense amount of freedom to shape their character and even the world and story, and not just through progression systems. Almost every modern AAA game has XP, skill trees, upgrades, and loot, and while those things are RPG-centric, they don’t automatically qualify a game for the label. If a game doesn’t allow players the freedom to influence outcomes, relationships, quest resolutions, the state of the world, and especially the identity of the character they’re playing, then they aren’t inhabiting a role but simply controlling a pre-defined protagonist in a story with clear boundaries.
Warhorse has proven it understands that philosophy in its Kingdom Come games, as they essentially give players freedom on just about every side. Outcomes and endings can change depending on the decisions players make, relationships and reputation can be affected as players shape Henry’s personality and character through dialogue and gameplay choices, and how much or how little Henry knows about sword fighting or more basic skills like reading depend on how often players practice those skills rather than how many skill points they have.
Strictly speaking, a true RPG allows players an immense amount of freedom to shape their character and even the world and story, and not just through progression systems.
On top of that, each Kingdom Come‘s open world is massive and littered with gameplay and storytelling opportunities that make each trek off or on the beaten path feel like players are encountering an actual world rather than simply playing a game. NPCs are reactive to the player’s presence, even to the point of making comments about Henry’s stench if players forget to bathe him. Crime is a very real consequence in each game, where stealing something or even trespassing can get players into trouble, while other games claiming to be RPGs let players get away with just about anything. And the world beyond the confines of any city or village is alive as well, with environmental storytelling that makes the world feel like it keeps spinning even when players aren’t actually there to experience it.
That’s ultimately why Warhorse feels so well-suited for an open-world Lord of the Rings RPG. Warhorse has already shown that it understands open-world RPG design on a level that goes beyond progression systems that make other games claim the genre. Its worlds are large, but they’re also reactive and believable in a way that makes player agency feel like it actually has an impact on things. That’s precisely why its Lord of the Rings game could be such a problem for Bethesda. If Warhorse can bring that same approach to Middle-earth, with a world players already care about before they even boot up the game, it may have the formula and the audience needed to compete at a much higher level.
Warhorse’s Lord of the Rings Game Could Push It Into Bethesda Territory
But it’s going to take more than open-world RPG prowess to compete with Bethesda, because if that were the case, Warhorse would already have the Elder Scrolls studio beaten. In my eyes, and the eyes of many others, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was enough of a success story that Warhorse could claim that “RPG kings” title right now. However, there’s still a bit of a niche element to what the KCD formula offers, primarily due to its somewhat hardcore nature. Many players found both Kingdom Come games to be too hard, not necessarily because they have firm skill ceilings, but because they don’t hold the player’s hands and require plenty of time and patience to master.
Warhorse has already shown that it understands open-world RPG design on a level that goes beyond progression systems that make other games claim the genre.
That’s where The Lord of the Rings comes in, though, as it could push Warhorse into the mainstream, potentially (and likely) even attracting players who aren’t fond of the Kingdom Come: Deliverance games. In fact, that is already evident in the overwhelming response Warhorse has had to its announcement that it is currently developing a Middle-earth RPG. Despite the studio announcing a new Kingdom Come adventure alongside it, its simultaneous confirmation of an in-progress Lord of the Rings game has almost entirely overshadowed the Kingdom Come news. The reason is actually pretty simple: The Lord of the Rings as a franchise is far more popular than Kingdom Come, and a broader audience of gamers has been awaiting an open-world Lord of the Rings game like the one Warhorse is bound to make.
In short, there are already a lot of eyes on Warhorse now, not because of its success with Kingdom Come: Deliverance, but because it is now in charge of taking one of the most recognizable fantasy IPs in history and translating it into the open-world RPG that many gamers have only ever dreamed of. The popularity of The Lord of the Rings alone is enough to get more hands on Warhorse’s upcoming Middle-earth RPG, and if it turns out to be as good as or better than it’s expected to be, it should officially cement the studio as the new kings of RPGs, effectively removing the crown from Bethesda’s head and placing it upon their own.
The only variable now is The Elder Scrolls 6. In light of how long Bethesda has been working on The Elder Scrolls 6, it’s likely to launch before Warhorse’s Lord of the Rings game sees the light of day. If that should happen—and it likely will—and if it manages to evolve the Elder Scrolls formula in a significant way and then stick the landing many fans are hoping for, then Warhorse’s Middle-earth RPG will likely be compared to it and could suffer as a result. Even then, considering just how long Lord of the Rings fans have been waiting for an open-world game set in Tolkien’s beloved universe, Warhorse has the upper hand here, and it’s one not even a giant as large as Bethesda can compete with.
- Created by
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J. R. R. Tolkien
- Where to watch
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HBO Max
- Movie(s)
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The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
