Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is a 2017 action-adventure and first-person shooter game developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks. The eighth main entry in the Wolfenstein series and the sequel to 2014's Wolfenstein: The New Order, the game is set in an alternate history that takes place in 1961, following the Nazi victory in the Second World War. The story follows war veteran William "B.J." Blazkowicz and his efforts to fight against the Nazi regime in the United States. Gameplay mechanics are largely similar to those of The New Order, though the team introduced improvements such as allowing players to dual-wield any combination of weapons in the game. A binary choice in the prologue alters the game's entire storyline; some characters and small plot points are replaced throughout the timelines.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Jens Matthies
John Jennings
- Andreas Öjerfors
- Arcade Berg
- Aydin Afzoud
Jim Kjellin
Axel Torvenius
- Jens Matthies
- Tommy Tordsson Björk
- PC, PS4, Xbox One
- 27 October 2017
- Nintendo Switch
- 29 June 2018
The New Colossus was developed using game engine id Tech 6; the technology and animations required a complete overhaul from The New Order, which used id Tech 5. The goal for the team was to retain the feel of combat in The New Order and further refine and polish it, as well as introduce more freedom of movement for players. As the game is set in a Nazi-occupied America, the team was intrigued by the juxtaposition of America, which was "founded on the idea of freedom", being under totalitarian control, and wanted to explore how Germany would have attempted to subvert American culture. Continuing from The New Order, the development team aimed to characterize Blazkowicz for players to adopt his personality. Mick Gordon returned as the game's composer and is joined by Martin Stig Andersen. Both Brian Bloom and Nina Franoszek returned to provide voice and motion capture for Blazkowicz and Frau Engel, the game's primary antagonist.
It was released in October 2017 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The Nintendo Switch version, developed by Panic Button, was released in June 2018. Its marketing campaign attracted controversy for leaning into real-life events. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus was released to a positive critical response. Particular praise was directed at the characters, narrative, cast performance, and gunplay, as well as the general presentation of the game, though its level design and gameplay received a mixed response from critics. The game was nominated for multiple year-end awards, winning "Best Action Game" at The Game Awards 2017. Following the game's launch, MachineGames released Freedom Chronicles, which is a collection of three downloadable content packs. A spin-off game, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, was released in 2019.
Sequel[edit]
On 10 June 2018, Bethesda Softworks announced Wolfenstein: Youngblood, a co-op spin-off serving as a continuation of the series that was released on 26 July 2019, with the story taking place twenty years after the events of The New Colossus.[109]