Today, multiple reports emerged suggesting Wolfenstein 3 is finally in development at Bethesda studio MachineGames. Fans have wanted a full third entry in the modern Wolfenstein revival series for years; the devs have occasionally teased the possibility of delivering on that desire, and it seems the time for an official announcement might finally be near.
Windows Central published a report earlier today suggesting that Wolfenstein 3 is “on the cards” at MachineGames to coincide with the planned Wolfenstein TV show. Word of Wolfenstein 3’s development was immediately corroborated by Kotaku – and in a situation where multiple outlets are reporting smoke, there’s a pretty strong chance that the fire is, indeed, real.
“I think this is important to say because we have always seen this as a trilogy,” studio head Jerk Gustafsson said at the time. “So that journey for BJ, even during those first weeks at id, when we mapped out New Order, we still had the plan for at least that character – what will happen in the second one, and what will happen in the third one. I think that’s that’s important to say because, at least I hope, that we’re not done with Wolfenstein yet. We have a story to tell.”
Make America Nazi-Free Again. #NoMoreNazis #Wolf2 pic.twitter.com/52OESypw4POctober 5, 2017
Exactly what that story will entail is an open question. Wolfenstein 2 launched back in 2017 with a story about the Nazi regime invading the United States in the ’60s – a tale the game’s marketing was unafraid of connecting to the rising tide of alt-right and neo-Nazi ideology in the real world, with ads offering slogans like “make America Nazi-free again” and referencing the viral clip of right-wing figurehead Richard Spencer getting punched in the face.
Wolfenstein 2 ended with revolution against the Nazis sparking off in the US, and the co-op spin-off Wolfenstein: Youngblood picks up decades later, with the regime kicked out of the Americas as the war continues in Europe.
That leaves the potential setting for Wolfenstein 3 wide open. We could get a mid-timeline tale of BJ Blazkowicz in the time between 2 and Youngblood, or something set closer to the present day. One thing seems almost certain: this has to be when we finally get the climactic Mecha-Hitler battle we’ve needed for decades, right?
Wolfenstein 2 remains one of the best FPS games you can play today.
