Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Director Hopes AI Can Accelerate Game Development Amid Health Struggles
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 has been one of the standout success stories of early 2025, with over two million units sold within just two weeks of launch and widespread critical acclaim. However, behind the triumph lies the grueling reality of game development. In a recent interview with The Game Business, Game Director Daniel Vávra candidly shared the toll the project took on him personally and expressed hope that advancements in AI could one day alleviate some of the burdens developers face.
Vávra revealed that the lengthy, stressful development process — spanning almost seven years since the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance was released — led to serious health issues last year. Stress and overwork have forced him to reconsider his approach moving forward.
"I want to rest a little bit. It was really tough. I had some serious health issues last year from all the stress and stuff like that, so I really need to slow down a little bit," Vávra explained. "I have a lot of ideas on what to do. Time is short. It really annoys me that games take so much time to do because I have more ideas than I have time."
Vávra shared his hopes that the ongoing AI revolution could play a pivotal role in transforming the development process. Rather than replacing creators, he envisions AI as a powerful tool that could accelerate workflows, streamline production, and ease the heavy demands placed on developers.
"I hope that maybe the AI revolution will help with this, that in the future we will not be replaced by AI, but we will be helped by AI a lot, so a lot of things could get easier and faster," he said. "I hope that it will happen, and it would be great if this happened."
Looking ahead, Vávra confirmed that while he will continue working on additional content for Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 — including announced DLC expansions — his sights are set even further. He revealed that he has several ambitious new projects in mind, ones that he believes hold as much potential as KCD. However, given the enormous time and effort required to realize such ideas, he emphasized the importance of better preparation and more efficient development cycles.
As Vávra steps back to recover and plan, the gaming community can look forward to more medieval adventures and potentially groundbreaking new projects from the mind behind Kingdom Come Deliverance. But his experience also serves as a reminder of the personal costs that often accompany the creation of beloved games — and why innovation in development tools, including AI, could be crucial for the industry’s future.
Do you believe AI should play a bigger role in assisting game development, or do you worry about the creative process being impacted? Share your thoughts below!
