Daniel Vávra

{{Infobox person

| name = Daniel Vávra

| image = Daniel Vávra SJK.png

| image_size =

| caption = Vávra in 2020

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1975|9|2}}Obchodní rejstřík na justice.cz, IČ 24155489, Warhorse Studios s.r.o. (formerly Prague Game Studios s.r.o.), Czech

| birth_place = Rychnov nad Kněžnou, Czechoslovakia

| occupation = Video game writer, game director, game designer

}}

Daniel Vávra (born 2 September 1975) is a Czech video game writer, director, designer and co-founder of Warhorse Studios. He is best known as the lead writer of the video games Mafia (2002), Mafia II (2010), Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018) and ''Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (2025).

Vávra started his career in 1998 at Illusion Softworks, initially working as a graphic artist for Hidden & Dangerous, he went on to become the lead writer of Mafia. After several projects in the mid-2000s, the studio was purchased by 2K Games in 2008 and renamed 2K Czech. The studio was working on Mafia II prior to the acquirement. Vávra greatly struggled with the restructured studio under 2K Games, and left in early 2009, prior to the game's release.{{Cite web|title=An interview with Daniel Vavra: GamerGate and the gaming industry|url=https://techraptor.net/gaming/interview/interview-daniel-vavra-gamergate-and-gaming-industry|access-date=2020-10-29|website=TechRaptor|date=20 May 2019}}

Following his departure, Vávra co-founded Warhorse Studios alongside Martin Klíma in 2011, which would eventually release Kingdom Come: Deliverance in 2018, a medieval role-playing game with Vávra as the lead writer. Vávra has remained the creative director of Warhorse Studios after it was sold to Koch Media in 2019.{{Cite web|title=THQ Nordic acquires Warhorse Studios in a €33.2m cash deal|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-02-13-thq-nordic-acquires-warhorse-studios-in-a-33-2m-cash-deal|access-date=2020-10-29|website=GamesIndustry.biz|date=13 February 2019}}

Biography

Daniel Vávra was born in Rychnov nad Kněžnou,{{cite web|url=http://www.giantbomb.com/daniel-vavra/3040-25892/|title=Daniel Vávra (Person)|website=Giant Bomb|accessdate=17 September 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hiphopstage.cz/rozhovory/jay-diesel-v-rozhovoru-pro-hiphopstage-nabizi-nejen-slibenej-new-mixtape-ke-stazeni|title=Jay Diesel v rozhovoru pro HipHopStage nabízí nejen slíbenej new mixtape ke stažení!|website=HipHopStage|access-date=20 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225005927/http://www.hiphopstage.cz/rozhovory/jay-diesel-v-rozhovoru-pro-hiphopstage-nabizi-nejen-slibenej-new-mixtape-ke-stazeni/|archive-date=25 February 2014|url-status=dead}} before moving to Prague.{{cite web|url=http://www.reflex.cz/clanek/komentare/48176/recka-pomsta-ceskym-vyvojarum-dan-vavra-polemizuje-s-janem-a-novakem.html|title=Řecká pomsta českým vývojářům. Dan Vávra polemizuje s Janem A. Novákem|work=Reflex.cz|language=cs}} He has partial Jewish ancestry.{{cite web|title=DanielVavra|url=https://twitter.com/DanielVavra/status/959954427103907840|publisher=Twitter|date=3 February 2018}} Since childhood, Vávra has enjoyed working with computers, drawing comics, and taking photos.{{cite web|url=http://www.danielvavra.com/bio|title=Bio - Hellboy|website=danielvavra.com|access-date=22 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529182259/http://www.danielvavra.com/bio|archive-date=29 May 2014|url-status=dead}} He studied at the School of Applied Arts in Turnov and started his career as a graphic designer at advertising company TIPA. He has written numerous articles for the Czech gaming magazine Level and other gaming magazines, and is also a passionate player of paintball.{{cite web|url=http://www.danielvavra.com/articles/military-paintball-community-camping2010|title=Military Paintball Community Camping 2010 < Articles - Hellboy|website=danielvavra.com|access-date=22 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226190102/http://www.danielvavra.com/articles/military-paintball-community-camping2010|archive-date=26 February 2014|url-status=dead}} He was also an active demoscener, under the pseudonym Hellboy, as part of the group Broncs.{{Cite web|url=http://zine.bitfellas.org/article.php?zine=13&id=19|title=ZINE 13: The Demoscene and modern games|website=zine.bitfellas.org|access-date=2019-05-17}}

=Illusion Softworks=

In 1998, Vávra joined Illusion Softworks as a 2D artist. His first project was Hidden and Dangerous, for which he created some textures.{{cite web|last=Vávra|first=Daniel|url=http://mafia2.scorpions.cz/novinka/rozhovor-s-danielem-vavrou|title=Mafia 2 - Rozhovor s Danielem Vávrou|website=Scorpions.cz|language=cs}} His next project was the highly acclaimed Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven,{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/mafia/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=Mafia for PC Reviews|website=Metacritic|accessdate=17 September 2014}} for which he was the lead designer, screenwriter and director. He later became the leading figure of Illusion Softworks's Prague subsidiary,{{cite web|url=http://games.tiscali.cz/tema/na-cem-pracuje-prazska-pobocka-illusionu-21601|title=Na čem pracuje pražská pobočka Illusionu?|work=Games.cz|language=cs}} and also worked on Wings of War, released in 2004. Around 2005,{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/DanielVavra/status/1129322592354091008|title=Around 2005 I was working on scifi game set in 2025 starring a female cyborg.|last=Vávra ⚔|first=Daniel|date=2019-05-17|website=@DanielVavra|access-date=2019-05-17}} he worked on another project, a third-person shooter game Hi-Tech, but it was cancelled.

== 2K Games ownership and departure ==

In 2008, it was announced that 2K Games had acquired Illusion Softworks, and had renamed the studio to 2K Czech.{{Cite web|title=Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Acquires Illusion Softworks|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/take-two-interactive-software-inc-acquires-illusion-softworks|access-date=2020-10-11|website=GamesIndustry.biz|date=8 January 2008}} Vavra wrote, and the studio were working, on Mafia II prior to the ownership, and it would release in 2010. Whilst Vavra said nothing at the time, he would later claim he struggled greatly to work under the reformed studio, mainly citing the differences in the structuring systems of major studios compared to the former smaller structure that was used by Illusion Softworks.{{Cite web|last=Vavra|first=Daniel|date=30 September 2020|title=Daniel Vavra Talks About His Original Script for Mafia III|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIo_ku8T4po&t=166s|access-date=11 October 2020|website=YouTube}} Vavra has since gone on to state his concerns that major publishers, and the way they are structured, mainly the collective decision making, causes great damage to the gaming industry.{{Citation|title=r/pcgaming - This shows exactly why Mafia 3 is a downgrade to the series.|date=9 October 2016 |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/56lh48/this_shows_exactly_why_mafia_3_is_a_downgrade_to/|access-date=2020-10-11}} He had also presented a full script for a future Mafia III, which was rejected by the higher-ups.

Vavra departed the studio in 2009, with the rejection of his Mafia III script from higher-ups pushing him to leave, alongside mission cuts made to Mafia II.{{Cite news|url=https://www.eurogamer.cz/articles/daniel-vavra-pretahl-par-tvurcu-mafie-ii|title=Daniel Vávra přetáhl pár tvůrců Mafie II|last=Doskocil|first=Jan|date=2011-05-13|website=Eurogamer.cz|language=cs|access-date=2019-05-17}}{{Cite web|date=2021-11-24|title=První mise v Mafii 2 měla být ohromná. A pak to tam nebylo, říká Dan Vávra|url=https://www.idnes.cz/hry/novinky/mafia-2-prvni-mise-daniel-vavra.A211124_084039_bw-novinky_oz|access-date=2021-12-11|website=iDNES.cz|language=cs}} Following his departure, the ending of Mafia II was changed from what was on Vavra's original script. He has stated he does not know why this change was made, and that the change in the story does not make any sense to him.{{Cite tweet|user= danielvavra |number=880155732783575040|title=Henry was not the traitor, he was framed by Falcone.}} Several other original workers at the studio departed either during, or not long after, Mafia II's release.{{Cite web|last=Phillips|first=Tom|date=2011-07-22|title=Mafia creator founds new studio|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-22-mafia-creator-founds-new-studio|access-date=2020-10-18|website=Eurogamer}}

=Warhorse Studios=

In 2011, Vávra co-founded Warhorse Studios, and wrote Kingdom Come: Deliverance, a role-playing video game that uses Cry Engine 3 set in a medieval-themed open world environment.{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01-21-i-do-care-for-a-next-gen-medieval-rpg-with-no-fantasy|title=I do care for a next-gen medieval RPG with no fantasy|date=22 January 2014|work=Eurogamer.net|accessdate=17 September 2014}} The game was set to be delivered in 2015 through episodic iterations, and was successfully funded via Kickstarter. Repeatedly delayed, the game was eventually released in 2018, with more promised content released since then.{{cite web|title=Kingdom Come: Deliverance release date, platforms and gameplay news|url=https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/new-product/game/kingdom-come-deliverance-news-3637546/|website=Tech Advisor|accessdate=15 April 2018|archive-date=18 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618052640/https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/new-product/game/kingdom-come-deliverance-news-3637546/|url-status=dead}} Warhorse Studios was sold to Koch Media (renamed Plaion in 2022) in 2019 for €33.2m, with Vávra remaining as its creative director.

Political views

Vávra has been a vocal critic of censorship, citing his upbringing under communist rule, and what he believes is a progressive bias in video games journalism that falsely accuses the gaming community and developers of discrimination.{{Cite web|last=Vávra|first=Daniel|url=https://techraptor.net/content/interview-daniel-vavra|title=An interview with Daniel Vavra: GamerGate and the gaming industry|website=techraptor.net|access-date=2018-02-12|archive-date=7 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007011657/http://techraptor.net/content/interview-daniel-vavra}}{{cite magazine|title=Vavra reacts to accusations of racism|url=https://www.gamestar.de/artikel/kingdom-come-deliverance-die-reaktion-auf-die-rassismus-vorwuefe,3324854.html|website=Gamestar.de|date=17 January 2018 |accessdate=28 April 2018}} Vávra supported the GamerGate movement.{{Cite news|url=https://kotaku.com/my-e3-meeting-with-a-pro-gamergate-developer-1715511964|title=My E3 Meeting With A Pro-GamerGate Developer|last=Totilo|first=Stephen|work=Kotaku|access-date=2018-02-20}} In 2025, Vávra refuted claims of falling pre-orders for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II stemming from anti-diversity backlash after it was revealed that the game would feature an African character and a same-sex romance. Vávra criticized the claims as the work of grifters and defended the content of the game, saying, "Everything displayed corresponds to the morals and social norms of 1403 Bohemia and is only there to make an interesting story, and not at all to appeal to a 'modern audience."{{Cite web |last=Bergin |first=Lauren |date=January 20, 2025 |title=Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 dev slams "grifters" who claim diversity has tanked pre-orders |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/kingdom-come-deliverance-2/preorder-backlash |access-date=5 February 2025 |website=PCGamesN |language=en-US}}

In 2012, Vávra led a protest against the arrest of Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar, developers from Bohemia Interactive, during their vacation on the Greek island of Lemnos. The two were arrested on charges of espionage, which they denied. The protest was held outside the Greek embassy in Prague.{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-29-jailed-arma-3-devs-send-letter-from-prison-as-czech-protests-escalate|title=Jailed ArmA 3 devs send letter from prison as Czech protests escalate|date=29 November 2012|work=Eurogamer.net|accessdate=17 September 2014}}

Video games

Hidden & Dangerous (1999), Illusion Softworks
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven (2002), Illusion Softworks - writer and director, Czech voice talent casting{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,87738|title=Daniel Vávra Video Game Credits and Biography - MobyGames|work=MobyGames|accessdate=17 September 2014}}
Mafia II (2010), 2K Czech - game designer, writer, graphic designer
Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018), Warhorse Studios - director, lead writer, voice director
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (2025), Warhorse Studios - director, lead writer