Warhorse Studios Bans "Homophobia And Transphobia" In New Code Of Conduct For 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance II' Steam Forum
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II developer Warhorse Studios banned “homophobia and transphobia” in a new Code of Conduct published to the game’s Steam forum.
Developer Plaion_My4NH shared the new Code of Conduct stating, “We are grateful for the vibrant and passionate discussions that take place here. Your love for this game and its immersive world has forged a unique and thriving community. To ensure that our forums remain a welcoming place for all, we are introducing a new set of community rules designed to maintain smooth moderation and foster meaningful, respectful discussions.”
He added, “We get it—this is a PEGI 18 game, and colourful language is part of the vibe. Occasional swearing is fine, but keep it reasonable. Excessive profanity, bigotry, sexism, racism, hate speech, sexual harassment, or threats will not be tolerated.”
Next, he instructed players to stay on topic, respect others, and keep it clean.
He also made it clear that the players should not have religious or political debates, should not share spoilers, should not spam or self-promote and that they should report their fellow player rather than retaliate.
Finally, he noted players should follow Steam’s Community Guidelines as well.
From there, he revealed that he and his moderation team will have “Zero Tolerance for Discrimination.”
That includes:
1.1 Racism: Prejudice or hostility based on race or ethnicity.
1.2 Sexism: Discrimination or hostility based on gender or sex.
1.3 Homophobia and Transphobia: Hatred or prejudice directed at LGBTQ+ individuals.
1.4 Ableism: Mocking or belittling individuals with disabilities.
1.5 Ageism: Discrimination or prejudice based on someone’s age.
1.6 Religious Discrimination: Targeting individuals for their faith or lack thereof, including but not limited to Islamophobia or Antisemitism.
1.7 Classism: Judging others based on their social or economic status.
1.8 Colourism: Bias or prejudice based on skin tone.
1.9 Body Shaming (Sizeism): Mocking someone’s body shape or size.
Any posts, comments, or behaviour perpetuating these harmful ideologies will be removed, and offenders will face swift action.
Next, he noted that it will not tolerate “Hate Speech or Harmful Ideologies”
He wrote, “We stand against all forms of hate speech and dangerous ideologies.”
This includes:
2.1 White Supremacy: Advocacy of racial superiority or supremacy theories.
2.2 Neo-Nazism: Promotion or support of Nazi-related symbols, beliefs, or ideologies.
2.3 Encouragement of Violence: Posts that glorify, incite, or encourage harm toward individuals or groups.
2.4 Harassment: Repeated or targeted attacks, threats, or intimidation.
2.5 Glorification of Harmful Behaviour: Including but not limited to self-harm, suicide, or abuse.
He also instructed players to maintain civility in debate writing, “This is a community for gaming, not political grandstanding or modern ideological debates. Civil disagreements are welcome, but respect must always prevail. If conversations devolve into personal attacks or hostility, they will be moderated accordingly.”
Next, he shared the consequences for violations which includes, “Deleting posts or threads, locking threads, issuing warnings, Temporarily or permanently banning users from the forum.”
Finally, he shared how players should respond to “discriminatory or harmful behaviour.”
He wrote, “If you encounter discriminatory or harmful behaviour, report it using the Steam reporting tools. Moderators will review all reports and take appropriate action.
Let us keep this forum a place of camaraderie, respect, and fun. May your swords be sharp, your wit sharper, and your conduct the sharpest of all!”
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This new Code of Conduct comes after multiple reports indicate that the game will be banned in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi-based outlet True Gaming reported the game was banned in Saudi Arabia, “We have received official confirmation that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has not been cleared for release in Saudi Arabia by the General Authority for Media Regulation.”
The outlet added, “The reason is that it violates one of the terms of the classification and clearance systems for video games, and the publisher's unwillingness to make the required modification to the content.”
It is unclear at this time what term the game violated. There was a rumor that it was banned for “unskippable gay scenes.”
That rumor was reported by VGA4A on X, “Urgent and official: Kingdom Come Deliverance II banned in Saudi Arabia, due to unskippable gay scenes in story mode.”
However, the original Arabic can be translated in a number of different ways as a source informed Fandom Pulse. It can be translated as saying it is “showing anomaly scenes that cannot be tolerated,” or “unskippable scenes of deviance in story mode,” or “showing deviance scenes that cannot be tolerated.”
Of note, in the outlet’s coverage on its website, machine translation does not mention the term “gay.” Instead it notes the outlet reported, “It seems that the picture has become clear now, as the fate of the game will be to be banned from publication in the region”
The article added, “The game has been banned in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia because it contains an immoral scene that promotes hidden agendas in video games.”
Furthermore, it noted, “The source also indicated that the game developer refused to release a revised version specific to the region, which led to the ban decision.”
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At the end of the studio’s most recent developer stream Lead Designer Prokop Jirsa appeared to address these reports. He stated, “If you want to know anything about our game, you can watch it by yourself. Really, it was a bold move by marketing when we send the review codes because we allowed everyone to use their own footage. So if you want to know more, if you want to research, really search the internet, find your favorite YouTuber, check his gameplay. Don’t trust only us. Just watch other people. Wait for reviews. And I’m pretty sure you’re really love what we’re offering.”
PR Manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling then concluded, “I think that’s a nice ending. Trust us, and don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
As reported by Pirat_Nation, a moderator on the Twitch stream also responded to inquiries about the reports and rumors. He wrote, “the concerns will be addressed, we’ll do it soon in an orderly manner, the accusations hit us by surprise. You have nothing to worry, please have patience for an official answer.”
What do you make of this new Code of Conduct?
Fuck warhorse. Commie-rainbowfucks pretending to be devs. I never trusted them.
I get that they need to call out specific forms of discrimination for legal reasons, and that they don't get to determine what counts as policy, but the fact that they post this and don't IMMEDIATELY follow it up with assurances that the game doesn't include pro-LGBT content or the normalization of deviant sexualities is a bad look.
This game was just about at the tipping point; this may push it off the cliff unless they get real clear, real soon.