Posted on April 16, 2014, Andy Chalk Germany’s “Nazi Thing” Keeps Them Out Of Wolfenstein: The New Order

Pete Hines of Bethesda says Germany has “a thing about Nazis,” so their version of Wolfenstein: The New Order will be a little different than what the rest of the world plays.

There’s no video game franchise more synonymous with blowing big holes in endless legions of dirty Nazis than Wolfenstein. That’s been a problem for shooter fans in Germany over the years, where “they have a thing about Nazis,” as Hines put it. So MachineGames’ upcoming shooter Wolfenstein: The New Order will be released in that country sporting a few cosmetic changes.

“They’re a little touchy, and so [the Nazis] are called the Regime in Wolfenstein in Germany,” Hines told GameSpot. “I’m pretty sure this is the first Wolfenstein game that will ever be released in Germany, but it’s completely stripped of all the constitutionally banned content.”

“Constitutionally banned” is a bit more on-point than “a thing about Nazis.” Germany’s post-war constitution places tight restrictions on where and how the swastika and other prominent Nazi-era symbols can be displayed, and video games are strictly off-limits. The war was a long time ago but it’s a restriction the German authorities take very seriously: in 2009, Activision recalled the German version of Wolfenstein because of a single, hard-to-see swastika that was overlooked during localization efforts.

(And yes, that also demonstrates that Hines’ belief that The New Order is the first Wolfenstein game to be released in Germany is in fact incorrect. Sorry, Pete.)