Warhorse Studios Replaces Human Translators with AI After the Success of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Sparking Controversy

The commercial success of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, released in February 2025 and positively received by both critics and the public, did not prevent Warhorse Studios from embarking on a controversial strategy: replacing human translators with artificial intelligence systems. The decision, motivated by the desire to reduce costs and increase efficiency, has sparked a heated debate among developers and players.

The issue became public when Max Hejtmánek, a Czech translator who had collaborated with the studio for nearly four years, revealed it. Hejtmánek worked on the localization from the original Czech to English for the game, its additional content, and marketing materials. His contribution was particularly significant, considering that the English version serves as the basis for many other international translations.

On March 27, 2026, the translator was called to an impromptu meeting and fired without notice. According to his account, the studio's executives explained to him that his role was no longer necessary, as advanced language model-based systems are now capable of handling the entire translation process for future projects.

I can imagine in the future devs will be able to train this tech for particular art style or specific people's faces and it might replace expensive raytracing etc. This is just a little uncanny beginning. No way haters will stop this. Its way more than a soap opera effect every tv...
-- Daniel Vávra ? (@DanielVavra)
March 23, 2026

Hejtmánek and his farewell message: the creators of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II will rely on AI for translations.

In his farewell message, Hejtmánek emphasized how the growing adoption of artificial intelligence is having a concrete impact on employment in the gaming industry and beyond. While respecting the confidentiality agreements signed with the company, he decided to share his experience to raise public awareness about the value of human work.

His statements also seem to contain an indirect criticism of Daniel Vávra, co-founder of Warhorse and game director, known for his pro-AI stance. Vávra recently expressed enthusiasm for emerging technologies like Nvidia DLSS 5, calling them part of a new graphics revolution, despite some criticisms regarding the quality and reliability of the results.

The case fits into a broader context where the video game industry is undergoing a rapid automation process. Some developers welcome these innovations, while others express concerns about ethical and professional consequences. Despite the discontent, Hejtmánek urged fans not to react with negative review campaigns against the game or the studio.