Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Translator Fired and Replaced with AI
Czech-to-English translator and editor Max Hejtmánek has publicly stated that he was fired from Warhorse Studios and replaced with AI, in a Reddit post that has drawn wide attention across games industry communities. “I want you to know that I feel betrayed,” Hejtmánek wrote, describing how Warhorse Studios informed him they planned to “use AI for all translations going forward.” The case has drawn sharp reactions from localisation professionals, and it sits within a broader pattern of AI displacement in game production roles.
The case is specific but the implications are not. This is happening across the industry.
What Happened
Max Hejtmánek, who worked as Czech-to-English translator and editor on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, posted publicly on Reddit on March 28, 2026, stating that he was let go by Warhorse Studios and replaced by AI. In his post, Hejtmánek wrote that he was “fired without prior notice” and that Warhorse’s intention was to use “AI for all translations going forward.” The Reddit post was subsequently reported by Polygon, PCGamer, Rock Paper Shotgun, Kotaku, and Mashable SEA.
Warhorse Studios and publisher Deep Silver had not issued a formal response at time of writing.
The Problem with AI Localising Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is not a game that benefits from generic AI translation. The original Kingdom Come: Deliverance, developed by Warhorse Studios and released in 2018, built its identity on historical authenticity — 15th-century Bohemian dialogue, period-accurate vocabulary, and a writing register that required translators to understand both the source language and the cultural-historical context.
AI translation tools currently produce serviceable general text. They struggle with idiomatic expression, register consistency across thousands of lines, and the kind of tonal specificity that makes period dialogue feel lived-in rather than anachronistic. Whether the AI output meets the quality standard set by the first game is a question players in the Czech-to-English market will answer empirically.
The Localisation Industry’s Response
The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has been documenting AI displacement in games localisation since 2023. Multiple localisation studios and in-house translation teams have reported AI replacing or significantly reducing human translation work across the industry. The KCD2 case follows a pattern, not an anomaly.
The economic logic is stark: AI localisation costs a fraction of professional human translation. The quality gap is real but harder to quantify in budget discussions than the cost savings.
What This Means for Players
For English-language players of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, the immediate impact is zero — Hejtmánek’s work was Czech-to-English translation. For players in other language markets where AI has been or may be substituted, the quality of the experience will be visible in every line of dialogue, menu text, and item description.
If you are in an affected language market and notice localisation quality issues in KCD2, documenting and sharing these in community forums creates accountability that purely financial analysis does not.
The Transparency Gap
There is no requirement in most markets for game publishers to disclose what parts of a product were AI-generated. Several European consumer advocacy groups are pushing for such disclosure requirements. The KCD2 case will likely be cited in those ongoing policy discussions.
What Comes Next
Warhorse Studios and Deep Silver have not published a formal response to Hejtmánek’s Reddit post at time of writing. Max Hejtmánek has spoken publicly about his experience, stating he feels “betrayed” by the decision. The localisation industry’s response is vocal and documented. Expect this to remain an active story as more affected language markets receive and play the game.
Source: Max Hejtmánek — Reddit post (March 28, 2026); Polygon, PCGamer, Rock Paper Shotgun, Kotaku reporting on KCD2 localisation practices
