Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 rolls out new forum rules to curb toxic behavior, which immediately sparks toxic behavior

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 publisher Deep Silver has rolled out a new code of conduct for discussions in the game's Steam forums, forbidding discrimination, hate speech, and harmful ideologies, and warning of possible permanent bans for those who break the rules.

"We are grateful for the vibrant and passionate discussions that take place here," developer PLAION_MY4NH wrote. "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."

"Occasional swearing" is fine, they added—Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is an M-rated game, after all—but users are urged to "keep it reasonable." Other broad points of acceptable behavior include the sorts of things typically seen in forum rules: Stay on topic, respect others, no "modern political or religious discussions," and just generally don't be a jerk.

The trouble with the "don't be a jerk" approach, as anyone who's ever moderated or used an online forum can tell you, is that it sounds reasonable but just doesn't work. So more specific rules have been laid down, and it's a pretty comprehensive list of bad behaviors:

Zero Tolerance for Discrimination

Discrimination in any form is strictly forbidden. This 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.

No Hate Speech or Harmful Ideologies

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.

"Any posts, comments, or behaviour perpetuating these harmful ideologies will be removed, and offenders will face swift action," PLAION_MY4NH wrote. Consequences for violating the code of conduct will range from warnings and post deletion to temporary or permanent bans from the forum.

The original Kingdom Come: Deliverance faced some criticism for being a very white game, something developer Warhorse Studios defended as reflecting the game's historical basis; creative director Daniel Vavra was similarly criticized for making numerous pro-Gamergate statements. That led to the game being held up by more reactionary elements of gaming fandom as not "woke," which resulted in some rumbling in 2024 when Warhorse said players "can expect a wide range of ethnicities and different characters" in the sequel. In recent days, there's been a more virulent backlash against claims that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 includes an "unskippable" same-sex love scene, prominent Black characters, and "lectures" about feminism.

Unfortunately, the social media landscape is even more toxic now than it was when the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance arrived, and with the sequel on the verge of launch it looks like Deep Silver is trying to head off the worst of the bad behavior before it happens. Predictably, that effort has sparked a backlash of its own:

The sad part is that amidst all this, early impressions of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 are very promising: PC Gamer's Fraser Brown said in his preview that it's "larger, confident and extremely tactile," aking to a "strange mixture of historical drama and The Hangover," while Joshua Wolens said his time with it was "tremendous fun, with all sorts of bizarre variables feeding into the emergent adventures I get into," reminiscent of "some of the best parts of Stalker." That sounds like a game I want to play. It's set to launch on February 4.