"Wolfenstein II" developers are being hounded by critics, as they were apparently offended by the game's promotional "Make America Nazi-free Again" slogan.
Developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks, "Wolfenstein II's" new slogan irked several critics, supposedly because of the statement's similarity to US President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again," slogan. The critics, according to The Washington Post, did not precisely protest the anti-Nazism sentiment; they were against the implied association between Trump supporters and Nazis.
Other critics insinuated that the upcoming video game and its marketing campaign is just preaching the ideals of anti-Nazi organization Antifa, which is a loose collective of communists, socialists, and anarchists whose goal is to stop the advancement of white supremacy in the US, often in a violent manner.
Peters Hines, vice president of marketing and public relations for the game, has told Games Industry Magazine, "'Wolfenstein' has been a decidedly anti-Nazi series since the first release more than 20 years ago. We aren't going to shy away from what the game is about. We don't feel it's a reach for us to say Nazis are bad and un-American, and we're not worried about being on the right side of history here."
Hines also stated that the idea of eradicating Nazism in "Wolfenstein II's" America was the goal of the entire franchise, and it just so happened that the marketing slogan and the game's themes coincided with similar current world events. The setting and the premise of America being a Nazi-occupied state in an alternate historical timeline was also reportedly decided even before President Trump entered the office. As such, the game just happens to relate to the topical issues that the US is facing today.
Rest assured, Hines also reiterated that Bethesda does not make games merely to incite political chaos and none of them expected the game's premise to be somewhat parallel to the current events. They simply make games for the enjoyment and immersion of a mature audience.
Still, Bethesda is disturbed that the game and its subject matter can even be considered a controversial political statement since Nazis have often been used as antagonists for numerous World War II games and even movies.
"Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus" will be released on Oct. 27 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
