My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Prokop Jirsa, lead designer (Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2).
Feb 17, 2026
Prokop Jirsa, Czech lead designer at Warhorse Studios known for shaping historically grounded RPGs. He discusses launching and iterating on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, balancing realism with player onboarding, Czech influences on setting and humour, and design ownership at his studio. Short anecdotes cover formative games, studio beginnings, and advice for aspiring designers.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Tinkering PC Culture Shaped Czech Studios
- Eastern European PC culture grew from early PC access and rampant software piracy, shaping local dev traditions.
- That tinkering culture produced distinct Czech games like Kingdom Come, Factorio, and Euro Truck Simulator.
Joining Warhorse Was A Lucky Risk
- Prokop applied to Warhorse by chance during his master's thesis downtime and passed a design test that mattered more than the interview.
- He joined before the Kickstarter and accepted high risk because he wanted to try game development.
Hire Designers To Own Quests End‑To‑End
- Hire designers who can own concept, writing, and implementation to keep quests cohesive and branched.
- Let designers direct VO and shepherd their quests through production for better narrative fit.