The creators of the upcoming video game, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, have responded to claims that the title references current politics and indicts President Trump for his supposed association with the alt-right — a baseless claim often touted by the liberal media.
Just as with previous titles in the series, you shoot and kill Nazis in Wolfenstein II. Set in an alternate 1960s sci-fi version of the United States, the player goes up against stormtroopers and mechanized robots. It is by no means realistic, and it has been in development since the release of the previous game in 2014.
Speaking to a gaming website, Bethesda marketing boss Pete Hines talked about the publisher’s marketing for the first-person shooter, which has used the hashtag #NoMoreNazis and the slogan “Make America Nazi-Free Again” on social media.
Despite claims that the marketing indicts Trump, the company’s twist on MAGA can only be viewed as an equally positive phrase.
However, both members of the alt-right and social justice warriors who identify as members of Antifa have taken these references to either be outraged (in the case of the alt-right) or embrace it as a pro-Antifa game (as SJWs), ignoring that the series has always been opposed to the Nazis.
“We’re certainly aware of current events in America and how they relate to some of the themes in Wolfenstein II,” said Hines to GamesIndustry.biz.
“Wolfenstein has been a decidedly anti-Nazi series since the first release more than 20 years ago. We aren’t going to shy away from what the game is about,” he continued. “We don’t feel it’s a reach for us to say Nazis are bad and un-American, and we’re not worried about being on the right side of history here.”
Hines explained that in the upcoming game, freeing America is just the first step to freeing a world in which the Nazis won. In that way, Wolfenstein’s setting is similar to Philip K. Dick’s novel, “The Man in the High Castle.”
“Our campaign leans into that sentiment, and it unfortunately happens to highlight current events in the real world,” continued Hines, who added that Bethesda was in no way prescient of the rise of both the alt-right and their far-left counterparts, Antifa.
He explained that the game’s American setting was established when the first 2014 game was still in early development, when the team was planning it out as a trilogy.
“At the time none of us expected that the game would be seen as a comment on current issues, but here we are,” Hines said. “Bethesda doesn’t develop games to make specific statements or incite political discussions. We make games that we think are fun, meaningful, and immersive for a mature audience.”
“In Wolfenstein’s case, it’s pure coincidence that Nazis are marching in the streets of America this year,” said Hines, referring to the Charlottesville march. “And it’s disturbing that the game can be considered a controversial political statement at all.”
“This is what our game is about,” said Hines, defending the game’s marketing message of #NoMoreNazis. “It’s what this franchise has always been about. We aren’t afraid to embrace what BJ stands for and what Wolfenstein represents. When it comes to Nazis, you can put us down in the ‘against’ column.”
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
