Wolfenstein

Wolfenstein is a series of alternate history World War II video games originally developed by Muse Software. The majority of the games follow William "B.J." Blazkowicz, an American Army captain, and his fight against the Axis powers. Earlier titles are centered around Nazi attempts to harness supernatural and occult forces, while later games are set after the Nazis successfully implement various science fiction technologies to achieve victory in World War II. The first two games in the series, Castle Wolfenstein and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, focused on stealth-based gameplay from a top-down perspective. Beginning with id Software's Wolfenstein 3D, they shifted to, and helped popularize, the first-person shooter genre. After ZeniMax Media acquired id Software, including the Wolfenstein franchise, developer MachineGames became the series' primary developer.

Wolfenstein is a series of alternate history World War II video games originally developed by Muse Software. The majority of the games follow William "B.J." Blazkowicz, an American Army captain, and his fight against the Axis powers. Earlier titles are centered around Nazi attempts to harness supernatural and occult forces, while later games are set after the Nazis successfully implement various science fiction technologies to achieve victory in World War II. The first two games in the series, Castle Wolfenstein and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, focused on stealth-based gameplay from a top-down perspective. Beginning with id Software's Wolfenstein 3D, they shifted to, and helped popularize, the first-person shooter genre. After ZeniMax Media acquired id Software, including the Wolfenstein franchise, developer MachineGames became the series' primary developer. ==History== ==Games== ===Castle Wolfenstein (1981)=== A stealth-adventure game set during World War II, in which the player controls an unnamed American prisoner of war as he steals German files containing secret war plans. The main goal is to escape the eponymous Nazi stronghold, while avoiding, disarming, or at times killing hostile guards. The inaugural game in the franchise was developed and published by M.U.S.E. Inc. in 1981. ===Beyond Castle Wolfenstein (1984¹)=== A sequel to Castle Wolfenstein set in World War II during Adolf Hitler's rule as Chancellor of Germany. The objective of the game is to traverse all the levels of the secret Berlin bunker where Hitler is holding secret meetings with his senior staff. The player must retrieve a bomb that the operatives have placed inside the bunker and place it outside the door of the room where Hitler is holding his meeting, a scenario bearing a passing resemblance to the July 20 Plot. Beyond Castle Wolfenstein was the second and final title developed and published by Muse Software, and was released in 1984. After the death of the original designer of the program, the widow of Silas Warner released a ported version of the game, as well as its reconstructed source code in his honor in 2004¹. ===Wolfenstein 3D (1992)=== After the Nazis apprehend an American spy, William "B.J." Blazkowicz, who was sent to sabotage the enemy's regime and foil their schemes, they imprison him under the grounds of Castle Wolfenstein. Finding a way to incapacitate a prison guard, B.J. manages to arm himself with a stolen pistol and advance through the subterranean floors of the castle, on his way to accomplish his mission by uncovering the truth behind 'Operation Eisenfaust' and destroy it. Wolfenstein 3D was the first game in the series to be developed by id Software, and published by Apogee Software. It marked the series transition to the first-person shooter genre, a genre that the game would go on to popularize. ====Spear of Destiny==== Spear of Destiny is a stand-alone expansion pack for Wolfenstein 3D that was developed by id Software, and published by FormGen Corporation. Set before the events of Wolfenstein 3D, the player assumes the role of William "B.J." Blazkowicz, who is set to reclaim the Spear of Destiny from the Nazis after it was stolen from Versailles. Spear of Destiny had two expansion packs developed by FormGen "Return to Danger" and "Ultimate Challenge". ===Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001¹)=== Two operatives of an allied espionage agency, William "B.J." Blazkowicz and Agent One are captured by the Nazis and imprisoned in Castle Wolfenstein during their attempt to investigate rumours surrounding one of Heinrich Himmler's personal projects, the SS Paranormal Division. Agent One is killed during the interrogation, while Blazkowicz escapes custody, fighting his way out of the castle. As the challenge is still afoot, Blazkowicz discovers that the Nazis are constructing a plan called 'Operation Resurrection', which oversees resurrecting the dead as well as dealing with supernatural elements, using them for their own advantage to win World War II against the Allied power. The game was developed by Gray Matter Studios and published by Activision, and released in 2001 on Microsoft Windows. The game would be ported to consoles two years later. ===Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory (2003)=== Originally planned to be released as an expansion pack to Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Enemy Territory was instead released as a standalone, free to play multiplayer title. Instead of a single-player campaign mode and storyline, the game features an expanded edition of the previous title's multiplayer. The game was developed by Splash Damage and published by Activision. A commercial follow-up, called Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, was later released in 2007¹. ===Wolfenstein RPG (2008¹)=== In a mission to investigate the Paranormal Division of the Axis military, William "B.J." Blazkowicz is captured and held prisoner in The Tower. He escapes the enemy forces, and sets himself to stop them and their operation that involves supernatural activities once and for all, infiltrating Castle Wolfenstein to continue his escapade deep inside. It is a mobile phone game developed by Fountainhead Entertainment, and published by EA Mobile in 2008. John Carmack, one of the key people of Wolfenstein 3D, reprised his role as the sole programmer. ===Wolfenstein (2009)=== Blazkowicz discovers an unnatural medallion containing supernatural powers while on a mission on a German battleship. Learning the Nazis had begun digging deep into crystal mines to obtain more of the material, the OSA sends their operative to the fictional town of Isenstadt, which the Nazis had taken complete control of in order to excavate rare Nachtsonne crystals necessary to access the "Black Sun" dimension. The 2009 game was a loose sequel to Return to Castle Wolfenstein developed by Raven Software, produced by id Software, and published by Activision. ===Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014)=== The New Order is set after the end of World War II, in an alternate universe where the Axis powers won World War II. In 1946, as the Nazis expand their regime over the world, OSA agent William "B.J." Blazkowicz is sent to assassinate General Deathshead, as part of a last all-out effort by Allied airborne and commando forces. The mission is a failure and, after the unit is slaughtered by Nazi forces, Blazkowicz barely escapes the compound, sustaining a critical head injury which renders him unconscious and subsequently puts him in a coma. In 1960, fourteen years later, B.J. finds himself settled in an asylum, unaware of the events that took place during his coma, and about to be executed by the Nazis who have ordered the asylum liquidated. Awakened into full strength, Blazkowicz fights his way out of the building, escaping with a wounded nurse, Anya. B.J. locates the Resistance and helps them fight the Nazis, dismantling them and ultimately crippling their dominance around the world. After the publishing rights were moved from Activision to Bethesda Softworks following ZeniMax Media's acquisition of id Software, development on The New Order began in 2010 by MachineGames. ===Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (2015¹)=== A prequel to The New Order, The Old Blood follows William "B.J." Blazkowicz and Richard Wesley, also known as Agent One, who are sent to infiltrate Castle Wolfenstein and obtain a top secret folder that contains the whereabouts of General Deathshead. The mission goes awry as they are discovered by the Nazi troopers and are captured. During brutal interrogation, Agent One is killed, but Blazkowicz manages to evade the Nazi forces and escape the castle. With the aid of Kessler, the leader of a local resistance group, he discovers that the folder is held by Helga von Schabbs, a Nazi neurologist who has just arrived in the village of Wulfburg. Evidence begins to emerge of supernatural activities taking place under the command of von Schabbs, who is conducting an archaeological excavation in an attempt to find a hidden underground vault containing occult knowledge previously possessed by German King Otto I. The game is a loose remake of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, with similarities in the storylines of the two games, as well as the existence of various characters as homages to the ones from the older title. Developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks, the game is a stand-alone expansion to The New Order, and was released in 2015. ===Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017¹)=== Set five months after the events of The New Order, "B.J." Blazkowicz awakens from the coma he succumbed to in the aftermath of surviving a near-fatal explosion, residing on a stolen Nazi U-boat commandeered by the Wiesenau Kreis, also known as the Kreisau Circle. After an attack ensues on the base orchestrated by Frau Engel, many of the resistance members are captured, and the leader of the group is killed. Escaping the clutches of Nazi forces with the rest of the team, Blazkowicz takes over the leadership of the Resistance and proceeds to what would have been the next step in the plan to liberate America from the Nazis and use the country as a center base to free the rest of the world from their monstrous regime. Recruiting new members to the resistance along the way, Blazkowicz and the group intend to assassinate prominent leaders in the Nazi regime to bring the public conscious into the idea of liberty and freedom, thus urging everyone to rise against the hefty powers who are running the government. But, before they ignite the operation, the resistance must attack and take over Engel's airship, the Ausmerzer, to disable its use against their own by the Nazis, and hijack its command systems in order to start a revolution, thus reclaiming the land of freedom that was once theirs. The New Colossus is the third title in the series to be developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was released on multiple platforms in 2017. ==Television series== In 2012, movie producer Samuel Hadida and Panorama Media announced plans to make a film adaptation of Wolfenstein, with Roger Avary attached to write and direct. In July 2025, a television series adaptation was announced to be in development at Amazon MGM Studios, with Patrick Somerville as creator and showrunner, and Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy, Athena Wickham, James Altman, and Jerk Gustafsson as executive producers. ==References==

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