Czech โฃGames Deserve Recognition as โMajor Export,Warhorse Studios‘ Petr Kolรกล argues
BRNO,CZECH REPUBLIC – Despite achieving international acclaim,the Czech video game industry is frequently enough undervalued domestically,according to Petr Kolรกล,producer and head of the Brno โbranch of Warhorse โstudios. In a recent interview on the “Bosses Tamers” program,Kolรกล urged for greater state support โand a shift in public perception,assertingโค that gamingโข is a significant Czech export and a vital โpart of โขthe nation’s cultural landscape.
Kolรกล’s career began in game journalism before moving to bohemia Interactive, where he spent โnearly a decade. He later co-founded Ashborne โGames and ultimately joined โฃWarhorse Studios, now โฃleading the Brno โคteam โขcurrently developing DLC for Kingdomโข Come: Deliveranceโ II. “It is easier thatโข I no longer haveโค to worry about the whole studio, but I can focus on the advancement itself,” Kolรกล stated.
He characterized Czech game development as distinct from Western studios, emphasizing โa commitment to realistic โsimulation, systematic depth, and a “rawness” frequently enough absent โฃin more polished international titles.Thisโ approach, sometimes labeled “Eurojunk” – referring to aspiring, system-rich games with occasional technicalโ imperfections โ- is, according to Kolรกล, “actually โpositive because it shows that โwe have the courage to go deep.”
While welcoming the inclusion of games withinโ the country’s audiovision law,Kolรกล cautioned that subsidies alone areโค insufficient. He stressed the need to dismantle outdated stereotypes, stating, “Games are no longer just the fun of nerds. What was once mockingly called the culture of rings is now a significant Czech export that โขdeserves the support.” He further emphasized the importance of fostering โa new generation of developers andโข recognizingโฃ games as โa crucial component โขof Czech cultural heritage worthy of preservation and development.
The full interview with Petr Kolรกล is available here and as a podcast on โplatforms like Spotify here.
