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Bethesda's Response to Nazi Punks: 'We aren't afraid to embrace what BJ stands for'

Pete Hines made Wolfenstein II's anti-Nazi stance abundantly clear in a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz.

Asif Khan

October 10, 2017 9:30 AM

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Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will be hitting consoles and PC this month, and Bethesda is ramping up their promotional campaign. Last week, the company found themselves facing a blowback from their "Make America Nazi-Free Again" social media post.

Make America Nazi-Free Again. #NoMoreNazis #Wolf2 pic.twitter.com/52OESypw4P

— Wolfenstein (@wolfenstein) October 5, 2017

That's right, people in America are offended by a game company's anti-Nazi stance. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Pete Hines said, "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 is not claiming any kind of foresight on the part of Bethesda regarding the current political landscape, but instead is pointing out the Wolfenstein franchise's rich history of being a game built around murdering Nazis.

He went on to say, "At the time none of us expected that the game would be seen as a comment on current issues, but here we are. Bethesda doesn't develop games to make specific statements or incite political discussions. We make games that we think are fun, meaningful, and immersive for a mature audience. In Wolfenstein's case, it's pure coincidence that Nazis are marching in the streets of America this year. And it's disturbing that the game can be considered a controversial political statement at all."

The #NoMoreNazis ad campaign has drawn serious butthurt from American Nazi sympathizers. "This is what our game is about," Hines goes on to say. "It's what this franchise has always been about. We aren't afraid to embrace what BJ stands for and what Wolfenstein represents. When it comes to Nazis, you can put us down in the 'against' column."

You can put Shacknews in the same column, Pete.

Asif Khan

CEO/EIC/EIEIO

Asif Khan is the CEO, EIC, and majority shareholder of Shacknews. He began his career in video game journalism as a freelancer in 2001 for Tendobox.com. Asif is a CPA and was formerly an investment adviser representative. After much success in his own personal investments, he retired from his day job in financial services and is currently focused on new private investments. His favorite PC game of all time is Duke Nukem 3D, and he is an unapologetic fan of most things Nintendo. Asif first frequented the Shack when it was sCary's Shugashack to find all things Quake. When he is not immersed in investments or gaming he is a purveyor of fine electronic music. Asif also has an irrational love of Cleveland sports.