At the bottom of the official press release introducing the gaming world to Machine Games’ Wolfenstein: The New Order, publisher Bethesda Softworks clarified its position on the Nazi regime’s attempted genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. In a business driven by sales, estranging yourself from even the smallest demographic is a tough decision. I applaud Bethesda for having the strength of character to distance themselves from the Nazi regime in such a public fashion.
Wolfenstein Publisher Bravely Adopts Anti-Nazi Stance
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26 responses to “Wolfenstein Publisher Bravely Adopts Anti-Nazi Stance”
Like serving only light beer at a sporting event.
“You can pay us to drink and drink and drink, but you know…..behave”.
Inspirational. If only Nintendo had the courage to take such a public stand against the well-known atrocities committed by the Bowser regime against the long-suffering inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom rather than just continually cashing in on them.
There’s no proof, if those camps existed the people of the Mushroom Kingdom would have known about them. These are lies formulated by the Monarchists to weaken the strength of the proud Koopa nation.
This statement is merely crude satire, I in no way intend to condone, endorse or glorify people who deny that the holocaust and Nazi atrocities actually happened.
It’s a good thing they did that because you know all my friends and I were just assuming you know, these guys, all about the Hitler. They can’t get enough of the big H.
So yeah, definitely a good thing they clarified. I guess I can put this burning pitchfork away now, as can we all.
Gosh darn it I just can’t tell. IS the article satire? On one hand, nobody could be serious about this, right? But on the other hand, AMERICANS. I just don’t know.
I don’t know if I’d applaud them for it. I mean, it’s not like they’ve taken a pro gay stance or decried sexism in games, two issues that still attract a lot of controversy. It doesn’t take much to say you’re anti Nazi and anti genocide, and in fact it’s the assumed position of pretty much everyone in the western world but the fringiest of fringe groups.
Pretty much this. They don’t really deserve any thumbs up. It’s not like they’ve done anything worthy of it.
Kind of the point of the article.
As a Nazi I am very offended. Here I’d hoped that a developer like Bethesda Softworks respected my beliefs and now they just spit in my fascist face.
Now, has anyone seen where Anne Frank is hiding?
I think you guys already figured that out.
Yep just confirmed.. She said she hates Justin Beiber so we spared her.
But… I thought Bieber was one of you? It’s so hard to tell one manifestation of pure evil from another these days.
Wasn’t Bieber a Communist? Isn’t that precisely why Nazi Germany went to war with the U.S.S.R.?
Side note: It would be awesome to have an alternate universe where Imperial Germany (The Germany that rocks) won WWI.
Hitler did nothing wrong! Wait until I get a hold of Bethesda, I have place at a nice camp reserved for them.
You might be joking, but give it a few days until there’s a Kotaku article on the unrealistic portrail of female Nazi’s.
Wait, are you telling me that Hitler wasn’t such a cool guy?
Unnecessary. We can produce and consume fiction without needing a giant disclaimer every time it deals with something dark.
Unfortunately in this day and age it’s pretty much a pre-emptive strike against wankers who will come out, like Fox news saying ‘RARRRRR ITS GLORIFYING THE NAZIS RARRRR!’ you know the type.
Thanks to Fox, if Battlefield 1942 was released today, they’d kick up shit about the ability to play as a Nazi! Because you know they’d be unable to distinguish between the Wehrmacht and a Nazi.
Not really a “brave” stance…. more like an ass covering exercise in case some nutter from Fox News decides that the game encourages Nazis.
I want to see the next game that involves terrorists run a disclaimer about not supporting militant Islam.
Hypocrisy much? In an age where people call you a racist for using the shortened version of raccoon, ‘coon,’ to describe a fucking raccoon, it probably doesn’t hurt to release a statement that clarifies one’s political position for the benefit of hypersensitive, perpetual victims looking for any excuse to take offense.
*cough* Kotaku *cough*
LOL! I totally agree with this guy!
This stance is all well and good, but Bethesda is still deafeningly silent about the ‘disappearance’ of the Dwermer. They seem to have a deep Anti-Dwermetics vein in them…
So brave, standing up against a regime that’s long dead.
Like me challenging a dead Bruce Lee to a punch up.
Very politically correct would have been more accurate.
As others have said, this has nothing to do with bravery. The only thing is has anything to do with is proving that publishers/developers are caving to the pure stupidity of a very select minority of morons. Courage would be completely ignoring every single piece of laughable rubbish to come out of the mouth of the likes of Tracy Grimshaw, Bill O’ Riley, Jim-bonehead-Wallace and the rest of the lunatics who get given a platform to breed fear and ignorance. Responding to them is does nothing, it just gives them a reason to keep bantering on like idiots.
The only viable response would be a media release simply stating “We don’t care, kthxbai”
Do you really think wack jobs like Wallace could EVER be reasoned with? He would come up with lies and keep repeating them. Bill would shout and talk over you. Tracy would cut off your mic. Oh and Stephen Conroy would just call you a pedophile and blame the Russian mob.
In other news: EA disapproves of 9/11 terrorists, and Activision thinks Jesus was “pretty neat”. Brave, brave companies.
WELL SAID!
Sure, but there’s degrees of toughness.
On a scale of, say … “tearing up tissue paper” to “competing in the Iditarod”, I think Bethesda’s announcement is in the “eating a very mild curry” range – not everyone has to do it, but most people would and could if asked. I mean, Thomas Harris didn’t need to put out a similar press release for Fatherland. Gene Roddenberry didn’t have to add a disclaimer to the start of the Spacenazis episode of Star Trek – Patterns of Force.
I suspect most gamers have an underlying assumption that any studio of more than 2 people is not pro-Nazi. Confirming that view, and choosing to publicly exclude supporters of genocidal regimes from your customer base is hardly demonstrating strength of character. Given the overall subject matter of Wolfenstein, why aren’t they distancing themselves from demonic beings and maniacal cyborgs?
This really isn’t any different to the disclaimer you see at the beginning of the Assassin’s Creed games saying that it was made by a multicultural team of various beliefs and faiths.
God, that disclaimer gets so damn tiring >..