Kingdom Come: Deliverance developer Warhorse hasn't announced any future projects, but game director Daniel Vavra has ideas. He said in an interview that he has "a couple of projects" in mind that could, he estimates, have "as big potential as Kingdom Come: Deliverance." The developer added that he's hopeful the "AI revolution" gets here soon so he can make more games before retiring.
Vavra didn't go into detail on what these ideas might be, but he did tell The Game Business that he hopes the "AI revolution" can help him and his staff make games faster. He said new AI technologies will not replace human developers but will help them build faster.
"It really annoys me that the games take so much time, because I have more ideas than I have time," he said. "There are a couple of projects that I would love to do. And I would love to prepare them properly, so it's not as chaotic. I hope that the AI revolution will help with this, where in the future we will not be replaced by AI, but we will be helped by AI. So a lot of the things could get easier and faster."
A recent study found that most developers worldwide are already using AI technologies to help make games, despite concerns from workers about it. It's not immediately clear if AI was used in the development of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.
While Vavra isn't ready to discuss any new projects from Warhorse, he did dig into the state of the AAA gaming market, saying publishers are understandably risk-averse when they fund a game for $200 million. Instead, he said it might be smart to relatively make smaller bets on games with $50 million budgets, so that some could flop but others that might succeed could make up the difference.
"So being faster, cheaper, and with more risk would probably could solve some of those issues," he said.
He also mentioned how the recent wave of mass layoffs in the video game industry might "clean the waters" and help inspire people to come up with new creative ideas. "Hopefully some people who lost the spirit because of how industry works will return or start new companies, and do new stuff. I would really welcome some fresh air and new stuff," he said.
Whatever Warhorse makes next, it'll likely be made under Warhorse owner Embracer. Vavra said Embracer has not been affected by Embracer's deep cuts in recent times, noting that Embracer gives Warhorse "a lot of trust."
"There was almost zero outside influence on the creative decisions on the game. Which is great if it works, and when you are not insane. I understand that the corporation wants to have some control over the final product when it invests a lot of money, but generally we had a lot of freedom and it worked," he said.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II launched in February and has sold more than 2 million copies, in addition to earning strong reviews. The game has multiple paid expansions planned for 2025, but fans don't have to wait for something new, as a Hardcore mode was just recently added.
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Vavra didn't go into detail on what these ideas might be, but he did tell The Game Business that he hopes the "AI revolution" can help him and his staff make games faster. He said new AI technologies will not replace human developers but will help them build faster.
"It really annoys me that the games take so much time, because I have more ideas than I have time," he said. "There are a couple of projects that I would love to do. And I would love to prepare them properly, so it's not as chaotic. I hope that the AI revolution will help with this, where in the future we will not be replaced by AI, but we will be helped by AI. So a lot of the things could get easier and faster."
A recent study found that most developers worldwide are already using AI technologies to help make games, despite concerns from workers about it. It's not immediately clear if AI was used in the development of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.
While Vavra isn't ready to discuss any new projects from Warhorse, he did dig into the state of the AAA gaming market, saying publishers are understandably risk-averse when they fund a game for $200 million. Instead, he said it might be smart to relatively make smaller bets on games with $50 million budgets, so that some could flop but others that might succeed could make up the difference.
"So being faster, cheaper, and with more risk would probably could solve some of those issues," he said.
He also mentioned how the recent wave of mass layoffs in the video game industry might "clean the waters" and help inspire people to come up with new creative ideas. "Hopefully some people who lost the spirit because of how industry works will return or start new companies, and do new stuff. I would really welcome some fresh air and new stuff," he said.
Whatever Warhorse makes next, it'll likely be made under Warhorse owner Embracer. Vavra said Embracer has not been affected by Embracer's deep cuts in recent times, noting that Embracer gives Warhorse "a lot of trust."
"There was almost zero outside influence on the creative decisions on the game. Which is great if it works, and when you are not insane. I understand that the corporation wants to have some control over the final product when it invests a lot of money, but generally we had a lot of freedom and it worked," he said.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II launched in February and has sold more than 2 million copies, in addition to earning strong reviews. The game has multiple paid expansions planned for 2025, but fans don't have to wait for something new, as a Hardcore mode was just recently added.
Source