Less than a week after introducing a new code of conduct for the Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 forums on Steam, Deep Silver stated it has “listened to your feedback” and removed nearly all of the rules.

The initial code of conduct, launched on January 17, implemented a “zero tolerance” policy against discrimination, including a detailed breakdown of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other toxic behaviors; it prohibited “hate speech or harmful ideologies,” including white supremacy, neo-Nazism, and harassment.

“Any posts, comments, or behavior perpetuating these harmful ideologies will be removed, and offenders will face swift action,” PLAION_MY4NH wrote. Violators could receive consequences ranging from warnings and post deletions to temporary or permanent bans from the forum.

However, this has all been rescinded. The Steam forums are now guided by a much more concise set of “guidelines.”

“In recent days, we’ve listened to your feedback and refined our community guidelines to better represent the kind of space we all desire it to be,” reads Deep Silver’s new message. “We’ve made them clearer, simpler, and shorter to ensure fairness and respect—thank you all for joining us on this journey.”

The new guidelines include:

1. Respect others: Treat everyone fairly. The aim is not to stifle free speech, but personal attacks or criticizing others for their choices is unacceptable.
2. Stay on topic: Discussions should focus on Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
3. No spoilers without warning: Use spoiler tags or clearly label spoiler posts.
4. No spam or self-promotion: Irrelevant or promotional content will be removed.
5. Follow Steam’s Guidelines: These rules complement Steam’s Community Guidelines.

While the essence of ‘‘respect others’’ may cover the previous code’s concepts, the broad and simple approach of stating ‘‘don’t be a jerk’’ may not suffice as evidenced by recent posts in the forums, including racist remarks and complaints regarding bisexual characters.

The shift raises significant questions: Why did Deep Silver retract well-defined and reasonable forum rules that effectively countered toxicity? Stating that racism or homophobia would result in banning is not excessive; it’s effective moderation. When Deep Silver claims that it adjusted the guidelines “to better reflect the kind of space we all want this to be,” one must wonder what kind of space they envision.

So far, neither Plaion nor Warhorse has commented on these changes, but the reference to “free speech” is enlightening. Alleged fans of Kingdom Come: Deliverance have expressed discontent on Steam and social media, asserting that Warhorse, particularly Daniel Vavra, has refrained from addressing community questions regarding supposed ‘wokeness’ in the game.

This reversal does not appear to achieve its desired effect. Forums are inundated with complaints that Warhorse and Plaion are merely employing damage control and failing to engage with the genuine concerns raised by players.