Martin Klíma criticizes power-fantasy RPGs
Warhorse Studios co-founder Martin Klíma says he’s tired of RPGs built around power fantasy, “the chosen one,” and saving the universe.
Klíma also criticized the familiar “chosen one” model, where the player is sent on a grand quest to save the universe.
According to IGN, he made clear that his comments were not aimed at Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but at the repetition of the same RPG formula by major publishers.
What happened
IGN published a report based on an interview with PC Gamer in which Martin Klíma, co-founder of Warhorse Studios, voiced frustration with part of the current RPG landscape. In the report, Klíma says he has had enough of role-playing games that revolve around power, heroism, and a standard power fantasy. The core of his criticism, according to IGN, is that many major publishers keep using the same setup over and over: the player is cast as “the chosen one” and tasked with saving the universe.
Klíma is said to have described this kind of setup as boring and to have suggested that many RPGs are built in the same way. IGN summarizes his remarks as criticism of a formula that, in his view, is repeated too often by large publishers. In that reading, the issue is not one specific title, but a broader pattern within the genre.
IGN also writes that Klíma was not pointing to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as an example of the problem. His comments were, according to that report, aimed more at the wider repetition within the genre and at publishers that he believes keep relying on the same RPG structure. The source context provided here does not include a full transcript of the PC Gamer interview, so only the version reported by IGN can be confirmed.
The comments fit Warhorse Studios’ reputation and the Kingdom Come series, which is known for a more grounded approach to RPG design than many traditional fantasy RPGs. Warhorse was founded in 2011 by, among others, Martin Klíma and Dan Vávra, and released Kingdom Come: Deliverance in 2018, followed by Kingdom Come: Deliverance II in 2025.
Timeline
2011 — Warhorse Studios is founded by, among others, Martin Klíma and Dan Vávra in Prague.
2018 — Kingdom Come: Deliverance is released as the first game in the series.
2019 — Warhorse Studios is reportedly acquired by Plaion, according to the provided context.
2025 — Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is released as the sequel to the first game.
2026-10-05 — IGN publishes the article about Klíma’s comments, based on an interview with PC Gamer, according to the provided source context.
Background
Martin Klíma is identified in the provided context as a co-founder of Warhorse Studios, the Czech developer behind Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. The studio was founded in July 2011 by Dan Vávra and Martin Klíma and is based in Prague. According to the external context, Warhorse was acquired by Plaion in February 2019. The Kingdom Come series began with Kingdom Come: Deliverance in February 2018 and received a sequel, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, in February 2025.
The discussion highlighted in IGN’s reporting centers on a familiar tension in RPGs: classic fantasy stories about a chosen one and saving the world versus more restrained or realistic approaches. Klíma’s remarks place Warhorse back into that debate, but the provided sources do not include a full transcript of the PC Gamer interview. As a result, the exact wording, full context, and any additional examples he may have mentioned remain out of view.
The fact report also notes that Klíma, according to IGN’s summary, said the audience for games has gotten older, while many power-fantasy RPGs still seem to be made for teenagers. That interpretation lines up with his criticism of the “chosen one” model and the repeated use of the same structure by major publishers. At the same time, the provided source context does not confirm which specific publishers or other games he may have named.
The name appears as Martin Klima in the prompt, while the external context uses the Czech spelling Martin Klíma. That difference appears to be a transliteration issue rather than a substantive contradiction. The available sources do confirm his role as co-founder of Warhorse Studios and his connection to the Kingdom Come series, but not the full contents of the interview referenced by IGN.