Kingdom Come: Deliverance gets its own cinematic cut, which it honestly deserves.
There are certain stories you want to live in, not just play through. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is one of those stories. Not because it’s cozy or comforting (unless you find 15th-century Bohemia, civil unrest and revenge-fueled blood feuds cozy, like I do), but because it’s grounded, raw, human – and written with the kind of detail that makes you forget you’re holding a controller.
So when I heard that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is getting its very own cinematic cut – premiering at none other than the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – I had two thoughts:
- That makes perfect sense.
- Man, I wish I lived closer.
500 Hours Of Dialogue, Boiled Down To Big-Screen Glory
Remember? Warhorse Studios recorded over 500 hours of voice work for the sequel. Five. Hundred. That’s not a game, that’s a saga. So the idea of reworking it into a cinematic version? Genius. This isn’t just a marketing stunt or a glorified cutscene dump – it’s a well-earned victory lap for a writing team that understands drama, nuance, and the slow burn of a truly great story (I cried all the time).
From Game Studio To The Kaiserbad
The cinematic cut will premiere at KVIFF on July 9, 2025 – first with a KVIFF Talk featuring the creators at 3:30pm, followed by the full premiere at 7pm. Both take place at the Kaiserbad, which sounds fancy and is probably filled with people who say things like "austere mise-en-scène" unironically.
But if you’re more into realistic medieval storytelling with soul, you’re in the right place. This premiere is being framed as part of KVIFF’s new initiative to spotlight crossovers between games and other forms of audiovisual storytelling. And honestly? It’s about time.
“We are honored to be working together with world leaders in their field on this unique project,” says festival director Karel Och – and he’s not exaggerating. Warhorse Studios’ Creative Director Daniel Vávra is basically Czech gaming royalty. He helped define the genre with the original Mafia, and with Kingdom Come, he doubled down on historical accuracy, emotional storytelling, and the fine art of dying in medieval swordfights.
His co-director for this cut, Petr Pekař, knows a thing or two about cinematic storytelling as well. Originally a film editor, he’s spent the last decade crafting game cutscenes that rival film – and in this case, even outshine some of it. Under his direction, the sequel boasts more than five hours of full-blown cinematic sequences, stitched together with the kind of narrative momentum that deserves a theater audience.
More Than Just A Game
I’ve loved the Kingdom Come games not just for their gameplay (though, let’s be honest, surviving medieval Europe with no minimap is an extreme sport), but for their writing. For the moral ambiguity. The flawed, stubborn characters. The sense that you’re not just saving the world – you’re trying to live in it.
That’s what makes this cinematic cut so exciting. It’s not about adapting a game for film – it’s about letting a story that was always worthy of the big screen finally breathe in its full, remastered glory. And while I might not be there in person to see it (again: geography, sadly), I’ll be raising a goblet of wine from afar. This is the kind of moment that doesn’t just honor a game – it redefines what games can be.