Warhorse Studios co-founder Martin Klima is tired of the RPG formula that has dominated the genre for years. In a recent interview with PC Gamer’s Joshua Wolens, Klima said he is bored of games where players are the chosen one tasked with saving the universe. He compared the typical fantasy roleplaying game to Progress Quest, the satirical browser game that mocked EverQuest and similar titles for being time vampires and Skinner boxes.
“I play a lot of RPGs, it’s a genre I really like,” he said. “I was really and I still am bored and tired of all the RPGs when you are this chosen one, when you have this grand task of saving the universe. The games that are these really straightforward power fantasies. It’s not that I think it’s somehow wrong in principle. There is nothing bad about a good power fantasy. It’s just, it’s so repetitive.”
Klima said he wanted to make a game that offered something new and different. That idea eventually grew into Kingdom Come: Deliverance, the historical RPG released in 2018. But he believes the industry has not moved past the formula he wanted to escape.
“The games that were and sort of are being made are still the games for teenagers,” he said. “If you are 16, 17, you love playing these power fantasy games because it’s something that you need. But the audience is much older today.”
Chosen One Complaint
Klima’s complaint is familiar to anyone who has followed the genre in the last decade. The chosen one narrative has become a common structure for mainstream RPGs. A player character is selected by fate or prophecy, given a grand destiny, and sent to defeat a dark lord or save a world.
The pattern is simple:
- The player is told they are the chosen one.
- They are given a task to save the universe.
- They fight through a series of encounters.
- The story resolves with a final battle.
Klima is not arguing that this formula is broken or wrong. He is arguing that it is repetitive. He wants games that offer something more innovative.
He compared the formula to Progress Quest, the satirical browser game that mocks EverQuest and similar titles for being time vampires and Skinner boxes. “It’s really a distillation of what the common RPG is,” he said. “So I found that there must be many, many people who are really tired of this formula and who want something new and different.”
That desire to break away from the chosen one narrative was the seedling that eventually germinated into Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
Audience Problem
Klima’s larger point is that the audience for RPGs has aged. He argues that the games being made today are still designed for teenagers, even though the people buying them are much older.
“If you are 16, 17, you love playing these power fantasy games because it’s something that you need. But the audience is much older today.”
He also clarified that he is not attacking Expedition 33, a game he mentioned during the interview. “Everybody’s going to think that I am hating on Expedition 33 right now, but that’s definitely not the case.”
The implication is that the industry is stuck in a feedback loop. Publishers recycle the same formula over and over because it has worked before. Klima pointed to Ubisoft as the prime example.
“They are really best at recycling the same formula over and over,” he said. “When I’m talking about this, I really mean more games like games from Ubisoft, for example.”
Ubisoft’s Stale Formula
Klima praised Ubisoft’s craftsmanship while criticizing its creativity. He said the company’s games are excellent in terms of animation, models, and polish. But he felt that level of skill could be put to better use on something more innovative.
“I played the original Assassin’s Creed, and the original Far Cry, and the original Watch Dogs, and most of these games in the first iterations, and it was fun,” he said. “But once you play the same game for the 10th time, it sort of becomes stale.”
Far Cry and Watch Dogs are not exactly RPGs, but Klima noted that Assassin’s Creed went through a whole era where it was doing its best Witcher 3 impression. He acknowledged the financial risks of experimenting with the kind of budget Ubisoft throws at its flagship series.
“I appreciate the dilemma that they have, and I don’t have any easy answers for it,” he said.
| Game | Genre | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom Come: Deliverance | Historical RPG | Player as a peasant, no chosen one destiny |
| Assassin’s Creed | Action RPG | Chosen one destiny, repetitive missions |
| Watch Dogs | Open-world action | Chosen one destiny, repetitive missions |
| Far Cry | Open-world shooter | No chosen one destiny |
Power Fantasy Dilemma
Klima’s position is that the power fantasy is not inherently bad. It is just overused. He said there is nothing wrong with a good power fantasy in principle. But the repetition is the problem.
The comparison to Progress Quest is telling. That game satirizes the grind of EverQuest and similar titles by reducing them to a simple text interface where the player clicks through levels without ever interacting. Klima sees the same structure in modern RPGs.
“It’s really a distillation of what the common RPG is,” he said. “So I found that there must be many, many people who are really tired of this formula and who want something new and different.”
He is right. Many players are tired of the chosen one formula. But the question is whether the industry can break free of it.
Innovation Gap
Klima’s criticism is directed at the lack of innovation in the industry. He wants games that offer something new and different. But he acknowledges the difficulty of achieving that.
“I can’t help but feel that this craftsmanship would be better served by creating a game that’s a little bit more innovative,” he said.
He also recognized the financial risks involved in experimenting with the kind of money Ubisoft throws at its flagship series. “I appreciate the dilemma that they have, and I don’t have any easy answers for it,” he said.
The tension is real. Publishers want to minimize risk by sticking to proven formulas. But players want variety. The result is a genre that feels stuck in the past.
Self-Aware Criticism
Klima’s comments come across as self-aware rather than combative. He is not attacking Expedition 33 or any other game. He is describing his own frustration with the industry.
His praise for Ubisoft’s craftsmanship while criticizing its creativity is a telling contradiction. He acknowledges that the company’s games are polished and bug-free. But he wants more from them.
“I can’t help but feel that this craftsmanship would be better served by creating a game that’s a little bit more innovative,” he said.
He is not offering solutions. He is stating a problem. And he is pointing to his own game as a counterexample.
Future of RPGs
Klima’s comments raise questions about the future of the genre. Will the industry continue to recycle the same formula? Or will developers find new ways to tell stories?
Kingdom Come: Deliverance proved that there is an appetite for RPGs that break from the chosen one mold. Klima’s own game showed that players are willing to engage with a story that does not center on a single destined hero.
The question is whether other developers will follow. The audience is older, and it is hungry for something different.
Klima’s message is simple: the chosen one formula is repetitive. It is not wrong, but it is overused. The industry has aged, and so have its players. The games need to catch up.
The comparison to Progress Quest is telling. That game satirized the grind of EverQuest and similar titles by reducing them to a simple text interface where the player clicks through levels without ever interacting. Klima sees the same structure in modern RPGs.
“It’s really a distillation of what the common RPG is,” he said. “So I found that there must be many, many people who are really tired of this formula and who want something new and different.”
He is right. Many players are tired of the chosen one formula. But the question is whether the industry can break free of it.
The answer may depend on whether developers are willing to take the risk. The audience is waiting.
Source material: “Kingdom Come: Deliverance studio co-founder says a lot of RPGs are 'still games for teenagers,' and that he's 'tired of all the RPGs where you are this chosen one',” PC Gamer.
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