"Kingdom Come Deliverance 2": Is Warhorse replacing a translator with AI?

A translator at Czech studio Warhorse may have been fired because his former employer wants to increasingly rely on AI translations. In a Reddit post, Max Hejtmánek vents his anger and is receiving a lot of attention – both on Reddit and in the gaming press.

According to his statements, Hejtmánek worked for Warhorse for almost four years, translating texts from Czech original to English. He primarily worked on the equally successful and text-heavy role-playing game “Kingdom Come Deliverance 2” and its DLCs, translating dialogues, item names, and quest entries, among other things. On March 27, he was then surprisingly dismissed.

Translator feels betrayed

Warhorse cited cost-saving efforts as the reason for the dismissal, Hejtmánek writes in a Reddit post. In it, he calls himself “Max H,” and later confirmed his identity to the gaming magazine PC Gamer. Warhorse told him they wanted to use AI for all translations in the future. Hejtmánek writes that he feels betrayed by his employer. Before his dismissal, he had repeatedly and vehemently spoken out against using AI for translations.

Warhorse has not yet publicly commented on Hejtmánek's allegations. It is not known how and to what extent the Prague-based studio actually intends to use AI translations in future games. It is also unclear how many human translators are still employed by the studio.

“The increasing use of AI has a big impact on people in the gaming industry and many other areas,” Hejtmánek writes in his Reddit post in the subforum for “Kingdom Come: Deliverance.” “You should know how much the company whose games you love values the work of its employees.”

Use of AI is frowned upon

In gaming communities, the use of AI in game development is frowned upon – especially when it becomes visible. In recent months, there have been several cases where AI artworks have made their way into finished games. Strikingly often, the developers then claimed they were just placeholders that were accidentally released. This most recently happened with “Crimson Desert” and previously with “Anno 117” and “The Alters,” among others.

The developers of “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” had to return two Indie Game Awards because an AI-generated placeholder texture was visible at launch. In “Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered,” AI was apparently even used to create the French voice of Lara Croft. Such visible and audible cases often lead to massive criticism from players. However, it is known that many studios work intensively with AI behind the scenes.

With the two “Kingdom Come Deliverance” games, the Czech Warhorse Studios have developed historically accurate role-playing games that have received excellent reviews and achieved economic success. Part 2 was nominated for “Game of the Year” at the Game Awards 2025. DLC development for “Kingdom Come Deliverance 2” is considered complete; it is not known what Warhorse is currently working on.

(dahe)