Kutná Hora prepares for influx of tourists ahead of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
In roughly half a year, fans of the video game Kingdom Come: Deliverance will have the chance to explore the streets of medieval Kutná Hora in the upcoming sequel. Anticipating a wave of tourists eager to visit real-life locations from the game, Kutná Hora’s town hall is already preparing to accommodate potential visitors.
Kutná Hora, along with a panorama view of a medieval rendering of the town, appeared in the first trailer of the much-awaited video game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. In one month, the trailer has managed to gain nearly two million views on YouTube.
Kutná Hora Mayor Lukáš Seifert spoke to Czech Radio about the preparations made in anticipation of fans eager to experience the town featured in the game.
“I believe that many more people will buy this game, and I am glad that they will be the tourists we are waiting for. They are the ones who want to stay here, and they are mainly the ones who will come here not just for Kutná Hora, but for all the villages around it.”
According to the developers, the game will feature the village of Suchdol, the fortress of Malešov, and other sites.
“We will have special sightseeing routes. They will be half-day affairs that can be further expanded to include Malešov and other great places.”
According to the mayor, the tourists’ interests could be felt mainly by local tradesmen and entrepreneurs.
“They will stay here for a few days. They will leave a lot more money here and I can imagine that this will help the accommodation capacities in the area, not only in the town but in the villages around us.”
The first installment of the Kingdom Come Deliverance video game has sold over six million copies worldwide. The central storyline was set in Rataje nad Sázavou. Zdeněk Kabelka, the organiser of fan meetings of the game confirmed the interests of the fans in Rataje to Czech Radio.
“It's very much inspired by real places, real history. And of course, people are motivated by that and they are very happy when they have the opportunity to see some connections to the game itself in those locations and places.”
Kabelka also helped with the creation of the Kingdom Come exhibition, which was set up a year ago in one of the rooms in the castle in Rataje nad Sázavou. Players know the place as the Upper Castle. Thanks to the video game, dozens of people come here every week, says Věra Doubravová, who guides visitors through the castle.
“We always stop here and it's kind of the beginning of our show. When we didn't have anything here yet, a bunch of people who were putting it together brought this poster and said if players come by and are interested, they can sign it.
“And if you look closely, the signatures are from all over the globe. We have South Korea somewhere and we've had visitors from Japan, and of course a lot of Polish, German visitors, and others.”
Tobias Stolz-Zwilling of Warhorse Studios, which is developing the game, said the developers themselves will be helping cities and towns with promotion. The game is due to be released on February 11.
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