Kingdom Come Takes the Spotlight: Unprecedented Attendance and Exciting Venues Draws in Youth
Data Confirms Game Effect
Recent data clearly shows that the locations featured in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 are gaining popularity, with a significant increase in traffic.
„The spring months of 2025 brought significant year-on-year increases in traffic of tens of percent across all locations surveyed. This record growth cannot be explained by weather fluctuations or other long-term trends. The biggest contributors were young people under the age of 25,“ sums up the main findings of Petr Netolický, Product Manager at the O2 Centre for Artificial Intelligence Dataclair.ai, which compiled the analysis based on aggregated and anonymized data from April to June this year.
Attendance Increased by Tens of Percent
Visitation to all of the sites tracked – Kutná Hora, Suchdol, and State Castle Trosky – already rose the most year-on-year in April, shortly after the release of the second episode of Kingdom Come: Deliverance. This trend continued in the following two months, despite the fact that this May was significantly colder than last year’s.
The biggest jump was recorded by the town of Suchdol u Kutná Hora – until recently a relatively little-known place that became the model for a fictional medieval village set in the Posázava landscape. In April alone, 45% more visitors came here than in the same month of the previous year. The increased interest in exploring the local sights and surroundings can be attributed to the Kingdom Come effect: Deliverance.
The number of visitors also increased in long-established tourist destinations. Kutná Hora, a former medieval center of silver mining, saw almost 30% more domestic tourists this April compared to last year. That translates to a year-on-year increase of about 22,000 people! Visitor numbers to Trosky Castle, one of the iconic sites of the story, increased by 22% year-on-year this month.
„We are grateful for the support of local governments, churches, and property managers that allowed us access to places not normally open to the public. Through our research, we have gained not only expert interpretation but also access to valuable historical sources and materials,“ appreciates Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, Director of Communications at the studio Warhorse.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance as a Draw for Traveling around Czechia
The gaming phenomenon Kingdom Come: Deliverance is clearly having a positive impact on tourism in Czechia. The second installment of this successful Czech video game builds upon the extraordinary success of the first series, which already attracted fans to the picturesque landscape of Posazavi years ago. The sequel expands the game world with more real locations – especially Kutná Hora and Czech Paradise – locations rich in story, medieval ambiance, and stunning nature.
„Considering that this is the most successful Czech computer game, which has gained popularity not only in Czechia but worldwide, it is likely that both domestic and foreign players will increasingly want to experience the places where Henry of Skalice lives out his adventures. Indeed, the data released today confirms this trend. The game has significant potential to elevate Czechia’s profile globally, reaching visitor groups that traditional campaigns might struggle to attract. We’re fully aware of this and are actively working to leverage this phenomenon. The authentic atmosphere of Kingdom Come: Deliverance serves as a fantastic way to introduce Czechia to the world,“ emphasizes František Reismüller, Director of the Czech Tourist Authority – CzechTourism.
„Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an outstanding example of how a game world can inspire real travel. Players—both local and international—are increasingly eager to visit locations familiar from the game’s storyline. That’s why a special guide has been created to connect the virtual experience with reality, offering specific travel tips for the most prominent locations in the storyline, along with photographs showcasing contrasts between the Middle Ages and today. Individual locations also prepare special tours and experiences for fans of the game—bringing the game world to life,“ adds Jakub Kulhánek, Director of the Central Bohemian Tourism Centre.
KCD Live: When the Gaming World Comes Alive in the Real World
The growing fan interest is being followed up by Kingdom Come: Deliverance Live, which blends digital entertainment with real-life travel experiences—right in the locations where the story of the second episode unfolds.
This initiative involves not just government officials and agencies, but also cities, municipalities, cultural associations, and tourism entrepreneurs. The common goal is to bring the game world to life off-screen, offering fans genuine experiences through themed events, guided tours, or interactive programs in locations familiar from the game. An overview of all activities and planned events is available at www.kcdlive.eu.
„We knew Kingdom Come: Deliverance II would lead to increased interest in specific locations associated with the game. We aimed to ensure that the promotion investments were effective and coordinated across multiple institutions while providing visitors easy access to all the information in one place. This is how the kcdlive.eu portal was created, which now works effectively as a platform for showcasing experiences and a catalogue where interested parties can pick what fascinates them most and explore each destination,“ explains Ondřej Slačálek, project coordinator of KCD Live.
The project has already sparked international interest—this May, it was presented at the EXPO 2025 world exhibition in Osaka, Japan, receiving a positive response.
Following in the Footsteps of Jindřich of Skalice: Mainly Generation Z
Data from the operator O2 indicates that this year, young people have significantly increased their visits to these locations.
„The analysis clearly shows that the game has profoundly affected footfall among young people from Generation Z, aged around 25. This group has become the most represented visitor demographic in all surveyed locations following the game’s release. In Suchdol, the number of visitors under 25 increased by 310% year-on-year between April and June, in Kutná Hora by nearly 250%, and at Trosky Castle by 290%,“ comments Petr Netolický.
These analytical findings align with observations from those who are in direct contact with the locations.
„We’ve witnessed record interest primarily in the spring months—May’s visitors were the highest in Trosky State Castle’s entire public season. Over 16,000 came compared to just ten thousand last year. The visitor composition is also changing; more young people are coming and introducing new activities—like playing dice or singing on the stage, bringing the game’s fiction to life,” describes Lucie Bidlasová from the National Heritage Institute (NHA).
Managers of other monuments linked to the game’s plot are observing a similar trend. Young visitors are no longer just passive tourists; they traverse the paths of Henry of Skalice as modern-day medieval pilgrims, engaging with their surroundings, asking questions, and creating their own narratives.
„What I appreciate most about the Kingdom Come phenomenon is that it captivates young and middle generations, encouraging them to step away from their computers and explore real locations. They want to experience the storyline’s atmosphere firsthand, igniting their imaginations and desire for authentic explorations. They ask questions, engage with other visitors, and inspire new stories. One visitor shared, ‘I had to visit the Sázava Monastery; anyone who played K.C.D. knows. Our guide was fantastic, unlike the circus brothers who imprisoned poor Jindra! We compared photos with reality and retraced Henry’s steps on a 15 km hike to reach the monastery,’” shares Jaroslava Matoušová from the National Museum of Natural History.
How the Analysis Was Created
This analysis compared visitor numbers in April, May, and June 2025 with the same time frame in 2024 for Kutná Hora, Suchdol, and Trosky Castle and its surroundings. It was conducted by the O2 Dataclair.ai Centre for Artificial Intelligence, using O2 Geodata, a tool commonly applied in areas such as visitor analysis in tourism, urban planning, and retail movement analysis. All data utilized for this analysis is aggregated and anonymized, sourced from SIM card communication with subscribers’ consent, and extrapolated to the entire population.
Podcast SBALENO: How to Create a World That Inspires Journeys
How do you create a game world that resembles a movie, immerses players in history, and motivates them to explore real places in Czechia? That’s the question discussed in a recent episode of the CzechTourism agency’s SBALENO podcast. Guest Viktor Höschl, the art director of Warhorse Studios, shares insights into the game’s creation and how video game storytelling can serve as a tourism promotion tool. The podcast is available on the Spotify app.
