Daniel Vávra stirred controversy when he referred to a popular YouTube creator as a “grifter” this week.
The controversies surrounding Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 have taken a sharp turn as Warhorse Studios’ co-owner Daniel Vávra finds himself embroiled in a public feud with popular YouTuber Rev Says Desu. Ironically, the clash stems from a video in which Rev defended the game against accusations of wokeness, yet Vávra’s aggressive response has only fueled further backlash.
Vávra’s Misstep
It all started when Rev released a video addressing claims of preorder cancellations for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and the backlash the game was receiving for supposedly going “woke” due to optional romance scenes between two men and more diverse NPCs. The video defended the game’s historical authenticity and optional romance mechanics while discussing public concerns about the studio’s handling of controversies.
The video’s title was “‘Woke’ Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Backlash Results In MASS Preorder Refunds As Developer Loses Trust.”
That appears to be all Vávra actually saw of the video. Because despite Rev’s balanced tone, Vávra lashed out at him on social media, labeling Rev a “grifter” and dismissing his claims as sensationalist.
Another grifter. No. Our pre-orders haven’t dropped because of backlash. The sold/returned copies ratio is the same as it was. What happened is, that the preview hype has naturaly wanned and 9 massively discounted games entered the chart. Monster Hunter is down as well. pic.twitter.com/vfQY7sE6tG
— Daniel Vávra ⚔ (@DanielVavra) January 20, 2025
“Another grifter. No. Our pre-orders haven’t dropped because of backlash,” Vávra said on X. “The sold/returned copies ratio is the same as it was. What happened is, that the preview hype has naturally waned and nine massively discounted games entered the chart. Monster Hunter is down as well.”
Rev, known for his fair approach to gaming controversies, responded with professionalism, pointing out the irony of being attacked for a video that defended the game.
A screenshot of the exchange between Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 director Daniel Vavra and YouTuber Rev Says Desu – X
Rev said that Vávra labeling him a “grifter” over a video where he actually defend the game against those labeling it as “woke” was a wild turn of events.
He also noted that preorder cancellations were being discussed widely across platforms and added, “Now, ironically, more people are announcing that they have cancelled their preorders as a result of these posts attacking me.”
Rev successfully “ratio’d” the Warhorse Studios co-owner by getting more likes on his reply than there were on the original post.
Instead of backing down, Vávra doubled down, accusing Rev of using clickbait tactics.
I didn’t use that phrase? You have the data for preorder cancellations, I do not. I can only form an opinion based on my own observations. And as I SHOWED in my video, there are many people on twitter, steam, and other platforms cancelling their preorders as a result of various…
— Rev says I love my wife (@Rev_says_desu) January 20, 2025
“Well, sorry, but maybe don’t use titles with phrases like ‘massive exodus’ to avoid confusion,” Vávra said. It should be noted that the words “Mass Exodus” weren’t used.
Rev quickly clarified the situation.
“I didn’t use that phrase?” he responded. “You have the data for preorder cancellations, I do not. I can only form an opinion based on my own observations. And as I SHOWED in my video, there are many people on twitter, steam, and other platforms cancelling their preorders as a result of various reasons (even some that I thought were unreasonable). And now, ironically, more people are announcing that they have cancelled their preorders as a result of these posts attacking me. I understand a lot of people are hounding you recently, but I was not one of them. This was a mistake.”
Rev’s measured response stood in stark contrast to Vávra’s combative tone, making the developer’s behavior appear even more unprofessional to onlookers.
Rev summed up his thoughts in a follow up video on his channel with an accompanying post on X.
“I (unfortunately) ratioed the creative director of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 who tried to cancel me over my video (which he didn’t watch),” Rev said. “I tried to defend you over the false claims about your game being ‘woke.’ However, you threw me under the bus trying to appeal to weirdos.”
Fallout Among Content Creators
Vávra’s aggressive approach has sparked outrage among content creators who were previously supportive of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, including SmashJT, Vara Dark, and Grummz.
These creators, known for their advocacy of artistic freedom in gaming, are now criticizing Vávra for alienating fans and mishandling the situation.
Smash JT via Smash JT YouTube
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SmashJT criticized the situation bluntly.
“This public spat has only amplified the ongoing controversy, with more players announcing they’re cancelling preorders in reaction to Vávra’s behavior,” he said. “While I don’t typically preorder, I did have this game on my watchlist. Now? Not so much… For a studio aiming to build goodwill and hype for its game, this approach was disastrously short-sighted.”
Vara Dark’s full statement offered a detailed critique of Vávra’s actions.
In just a few weeks Vavra has gone from “oh companies are attacking their players and that’s stupid” to “I’m gonna attack players” 💀 He could’ve skipped “Another grifter” and still made his point.
I’ve defended KC2 (and gave Vavra the benefit of the doubt) because I think… pic.twitter.com/QMwlgQLwKU
— Vara Dark (@Vara_Dark) January 20, 2025
“In just a few weeks Vávra has gone from ‘oh companies are attacking their players and that’s stupid’ to ‘I’m gonna attack players,” she said. “He could’ve skipped ‘Another grifter’ and still made his point. I’ve defended KC2 (and gave Vávra the benefit of the doubt) because I think artistic freedom is important. I don’t have to agree with 100% of the decisions made if 95% of it is amazing. Elden Ring is one of the best games I’ve ever played, but I don’t agree with Body Type A/B, for example. Even games like Concord and Dustborn I have always said they can exist, but we should be able to criticize them. But this is really stupid. Lashing out at potential customers like a triggered CM isn’t a good look.”
Which part of @Rev_says_desu headline was untrue? pic.twitter.com/UrPihbiHRN
— Grummz (@Grummz) January 20, 2025
Former World of Warcraft lead Mark Kern, AKA Grummz, joined the criticism, questioning Vávra’s accusations of sensationalism by highlighting Rev’s video title and asking, “Which part of this is untrue?”
Amplified Backlash
Instead of quelling the controversy, Vávra’s public spat with Rev has only magnified it. Players who were previously considering buying the game, like Smash JT, are now canceling preorders, citing Vávra’s behavior as the tipping point. What began as a defense of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has devolved into a PR nightmare for Warhorse Studios, with Vávra’s actions undermining the studio’s credibility.
A screenshot from the trailer for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – YouTube, Warhorse Studios
For a game already under scrutiny, Vávra’s actions risk overshadowing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s merits. The studio’s commitment to historical accuracy and player choice has been praised, but the focus has now shifted to unnecessary drama. If Warhorse Studios wants to salvage its reputation, it will need to prioritize transparent communication and professional engagement with the gaming community. And Vávra should probably avoid calling people avoid calling anyone else a grifter, especially when they’re trying to defend him.
Vávra’s feud with Rev was entirely avoidable. By lashing out at a content creator who actually defended the game, he inadvertently created more controversy and alienated both fans and creators. The gaming community’s response has been clear: players expect respect and professionalism, not hostility.
Will you be preordering Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? Does Daniel Vávra labeling Rev Says Desu a grifter upset you? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
This is sad to watch
You can only laugh at this stupidity and hypocritical behavior.
Guess we never stop learning, eh?
Intelligent people never stop learning. Unintelligent people never learn in the first place.
This is what people like Mark Kern and this Rev guy deserve for trying to cape for a woke product and a woke director. It’s very simple – don’t give money to people who hate you and Vavra proved that he does.
I won’t buy this game. Vavra is a liar and sold out to DEI. 8 years ago warhorse’s stance on Henry’s sexuality was completely different. On twitter they made clear there won’t be gay options because Henry is straight, when somebody asked them if there will be gay options in KCD 1. Now all of a sudden Henry can be gay abdecken Vavra pretends like nothing happened.
I think he probably lashes out on people, because he feels kinda guilty for adding in DEI after always saying he’s against it.
Ironically this makes him look like one of those woke devs even more. All that is missing now is blaming gamers when the game doesn’t sell.
Upset me? No, I see a lot of grifting coming from both sides, and I’m not even into preordering in the first place, it’s meaningless in a world of endless supply of digital goods. I’m also not that old as to not remember how was the first game marketed about.
I was going to say the easy and only way to solve this was to fire Daniel Vavra. But he’s co-owner so that’s out the window. Who wants to bet the other owner tries to buy him out or just abandons Warhorse Studios because of this? If the former, *maybe* they can salvage their reputation but not likely. If the latter, the company’s as good as dead already.
Dan Vavra made “Hidden and Dangerous” games and original “Mafia” game, so he has my eternal respect. I don`t care what he is saying, KC2 will be great game. Like everything he created.
People are mad because Henry CAN be gay, that can be easily avoided. And that is why they will not buy this game. But all of them will gladly pay 100$ for GTA VI which will be full of Gays, Trans, Satanists and other psychotic degenerates. Even two main characters will be wokest fest ever in bizzare and stupid story ( Dan Houser is not in RS anymore ) which will be dozens time worse than “Henry can be gay”.
Jeez, where the world is going???
I was very happy about KCD and everything but the combat, but that was then and this now. Never pre-order, wait for the reviews then buy it if you like it, or get 10,000 Dustborn’s