Studio

Kingmakers Q&A

Many of the specific answers about Kingmakers were given by Paul Fisch, the game director, in replies to players on the Steam forum rather than in announcements. Below are 33 questions, each answered from his replies, with a link to the reply and to the page that covers the topic in full.

Strategy view over a hilltop settlement with an area shaded orange, a minimap at the lower left and a row of building icons at the lower right. — The strategy view over a hilltop settlement, with an area shaded orange. Frame at 4:52 in the Gameplay Deep Dive, tinyBuildGAMES.

Release

Is there a release date?: No calendar date. The publisher’s latest line says Early Access is coming soon, and when a player guessed at a release more than a year away, the director replied “It will be sooner than that.”Kingmakers release date · Reply: Paul Fisch on whether the release will slip further, Steam discussions
Why not announce a new date?: He said the team would rather not name one it might miss: “We don’t want to say a date that we aren’t 100% confident about”.Why Kingmakers was delayed · Reply: Paul Fisch on dates and the release candidate, Steam discussions
Will it be Early Access or 1.0?: Early Access, with no date yet: “It will be EA.” The current focus he named is the Steam playtest.What Early Access includes · Reply: Paul Fisch on Early Access and the playtest, Steam discussions
Will it actually come out?: Yes, in his words “the game is 100% going to be released”.Is Kingmakers real? · Reply: Paul Fisch on whether the game will release, Steam discussions

Playtest and demo

Was the playtest open when sign-ups appeared?: No. “It’s not open yet, we are planning to open it soon.”Kingmakers playtest · Reply: Paul Fisch in the Steam playtest thread
Will it open to everyone?: Asked whether it would open to all or use Steam’s random invites, he said “we will be opening it up more and more overtime”.How the invites work · Reply: Paul Fisch on how the playtest will open up, Steam discussions
Have any invites gone out?: Not when he was asked: “We have not sent any out yet.”Kingmakers playtest · Reply: Paul Fisch on whether playtest invites have gone out, Steam discussions
When will invites be announced?: There is no set time: “continuous rolling admissions as we scale up”.How the invites work · Reply: Paul Fisch on when playtest invites go out, Steam discussions
How were earlier testers picked?: From sign-ups. Players who say they won’t record their playthrough are not picked, and “playtests are only around 200 people usually”.How earlier playtests worked · Reply: Paul Fisch on how playtesters were picked, Steam discussions
Can you pay to get in?: No. “There is no paid access to testing and there never has been.”Scam claims, answered · Reply: Paul Fisch on paid test access, Steam discussions
Was the BiliBili World build the demo?: Part of it: “The version available at Bili Bili World was a part of what will be the public demo.”The BiliBili World demo · Reply: Paul Fisch on the BiliBili World build and the public demo, Steam discussions

Platforms

PS5 and Xbox?: Both were named as targets, but “not for the initial EA release”. He also said Xbox’s future was unclear to him.Kingmakers on consoles · Reply: Paul Fisch on consoles, Steam discussions
Steam Deck?: “When there is a public release I’m certain that it will run on steamdeck.” He made no statement on how well.Kingmakers on Steam Deck · Reply: Paul Fisch on Steam Deck, pinned update thread
Will there be gamepad support?: Intended, but maybe not at launch: “we might not yet have gamepad support working when EA launches”.Kingmakers controller support · Reply: Paul Fisch on gamepad support and console ports, Steam discussions
Denuvo or kernel-level anti-cheat?: Neither: “There is no denuvo or kernel level anti-cheat.”Kingmakers on Steam and Epic · Reply: Paul Fisch on Denuvo and anti-cheat, Steam discussions
GOG, or other stores?: “GoG isn’t ruled out or anything.” It is not a target for Early Access.Kingmakers on Steam and Epic · Reply: Paul Fisch on GOG and other storefronts, Steam discussions
Has he mentioned crossplay?: Only indirectly, in the GOG answer above, as part of the work every extra store adds. Crossplay itself has not been announced.Kingmakers crossplay · Reply: Paul Fisch on GOG and other storefronts, Steam discussions

Multiplayer

Can I play solo, or with only my friends?: Both. “You can have a private lobby and invite just your friends.” He adds that private lobbies already exist in the current builds.Kingmakers co-op and multiplayer · Reply: Paul Fisch on solo play and private lobbies, Steam discussions
Will there be local co-op?: Not targeted when he answered: “we aren’t targeting local co-op currently”. He adds “We may add local co-op down the road.”Split screen and local co-op · Reply: Paul Fisch on local co-op, Steam discussions

Performance

What about Unreal Engine 4 stutter?: In a thread about it he wrote “We have our own system that we built to handle PSO caching in addition to the built in unreal 4 one.” How it will play has not been said.Kingmakers performance · Reply: Paul Fisch on shader stutter, Steam discussions
Can a budget GPU like an RX 6600 run it?: Asked about that card, he answered “Kingmakers can certainly run on the equivalent of a Nvidia 3060”, with no word on settings.Kingmakers system requirements · Reply: Paul Fisch on graphics cards, Steam discussions
What does 4K need?: For 4K at maximum settings and 60+ fps without DLSS he says you need a high-end GPU and CPU, but “there are a lot of graphical toggles you can use to get the game running on a pretty low spec machine”.Kingmakers performance · Reply: Paul Fisch on graphics settings and 4K, Steam discussions
Will a top-end PC run it at 1440p?: He develops on a 4080 and says “You should be able to run the game flat out at the highest settings at 1440p.”Kingmakers system requirements · Reply: Paul Fisch on 1440p and his own 4080, Steam discussions
Is it Unreal Engine 5?: No. “The core development branch of the game has always been on unreal 4.27.”The engine story · Reply: Paul Fisch on the engine, Steam discussions

The game

Is there a tutorial?: Yes, and not a separate one: “yes, it is built into the first mission.”The demo and its first mission · Reply: Paul Fisch on whether there is a tutorial, Steam discussions
Is there a story?: Yes: “There is a story.” He is not sure how much of it is in the first Early Access release, but “Certainly a limited amount.” He says a complete story campaign will be there by 1.0.Kingmakers story and setting · Reply: Paul Fisch on the story in Early Access, Steam discussions
Are armored enemies bullet sponges?: No: “the game isn’t about bullet sponge enemies”. Higher difficulty levels add more and harder enemies instead.How hard Kingmakers is · Reply: Paul Fisch on armored enemies and difficulty, Steam discussions
Mods and Steam Workshop?: On the roadmap. Once planned for launch, “now we are targeting during EA”.What Early Access includes · Reply: Paul Fisch on mod support, Steam discussions
Can you fly helicopters?: Air support can be called in now. Flying planes or helicopters yourself is still being discussed.Kingmakers weapons and vehicles · Reply: Paul Fisch on tanks and aircraft, Steam discussions
Do enemies break and run?: Yes, through morale, and “Some weapons create more fear than others, and do more damage to morale.”Kingmakers units and officers · Reply: Paul Fisch on enemy morale, Steam discussions
What building work is still underway?: Asked what the team was working on, he listed several items, including “Improving the wall building systems and the associated AI around it.”Kingmakers base building · Reply: Paul Fisch on what the team was working on, Steam discussions

The studio and the film

Did this studio make Deadside?: No: “We did not make Duckside or Deadside. You are confusing the publisher with the developer.” The studio’s earlier game is Road Redemption.Kingmakers developer · Reply: Paul Fisch on the studio's earlier game, Steam discussions
Is the studio making the movie?: “It is not something we are directly involved in, and my understanding is that progress is quite slow.”The Kingmakers movie · Reply: Paul Fisch on the film's progress, Steam discussions

Asked, but not answered

Among the questions asked in Steam threads after the Gameplay Deep Dive, one with no developer reply is whether its cutscenes used generative AI; it is followed up on is Kingmakers real. For the official posts rather than forum replies, see the announcement timeline.