Kingmakers story and setting
You play an American mercenary sent back to 1403 to help the Welsh noble Owain Glyndŵr turn his rebellion against England into an empire. In the game’s fiction his rebellion was supposed to win; something changed history so that it failed, and your job is to put it back. There is a full campaign, playable alone or with friends.
“In Kingmakers, you travel to 1403 to help Owain Glyndwr transform a Welsh rebellion into an empire.”
Redemption Road. Said in the tinyBuildGAMES video: Kingmakers - Gameplay Deep Dive
The timeline you are restoring
The third developer blog set out the premise in full. Read against real history, it is a reversal in three steps.
The revolt is put down
Glyndŵr’s rising against English rule in Wales was eventually defeated.
Wales wins
“In Kingmakers’ original timeline, Owain Glyndŵr’s rebellion was victorious. He and his allies managed to conquer all of England, which set the world on a path toward technological superiority.”
Redemption Road. From Steam announcement: Kingmakers Dev Blog #3, Picking a Fight with History
Something undoes it
“However, a malevolent, otherworldly force changed this original timeline, causing Wales to fail in its conquest of England.”
Redemption Road. From Steam announcement: Kingmakers Dev Blog #3, Picking a Fight with History
The Deep Dive gives that force a name out loud. No written spelling of it has been published yet.
Who you are
“As an American mercenary, you are sent back to the 15th century to aid Glyndŵr’s rebellion and restore the original timeline.”
Redemption Road. From Steam announcement: Kingmakers Dev Blog #3, Picking a Fight with History
The store page frames the stakes from the other end, as a dying world you are trying to save: “Travel back 500 years, to medieval England, in order to change the course of a bloody war”. The FAQ promised plenty of character customisation; a female protagonist is something the game director has said he would like, while warning it would take a lot of animation and dialogue work.
The campaign
“Yes, there will be a campaign mode with a story you can play solo or co-op.”
Official FAQ. From the Kingmakers Official FAQ (Steam discussions)
In the Deep Dive the campaign spreads across England and Scotland, and missions include besieging castles, hunting an English spy and escorting Welsh noblemen. The mission types and the rest of the loop are on Kingmakers gameplay explained; playing it with others is on Kingmakers co-op.
Why sources give five different years
If you have seen another year quoted, it probably came from one of these. The studio’s most recent material agrees on 1403; the rest are older, describe the historical rebellion rather than your arrival, or do not come from the studio.
“The player travels back to 1461 England.”
Official FAQ. From the Kingmakers Official FAQ (Steam discussions)
The FAQ was last edited a few days after it was posted, well before the developer blogs and the Deep Dive. Two further claims appear on Wikipedia and in a GamingBolt feature: that you can choose to fight for England, Scotland or Wales, and that the game has multiple endings. Nothing the studio has published says either; which side you do play is set out on Kingmakers factions.
How historical is it?
“The premise of the game involves time travel which is obviously fiction. However, we try our best to honor some of the historical events that the player travels to in medieval England.”
Official FAQ. From the Kingmakers Official FAQ (Steam discussions)
The game is also being developed into a film; see the Kingmakers movie.