Wolfenstein Youngblood Germany Release Will be Uncensored

Some major news has come out regarding the newest Wolfenstein games. Both Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot will be released uncensored in Germany, which is a first for the series. This means that all Nazi imagery and references will be kept intact for the German releases. Known as the “International Editions,” these will each actually be one of two releases the Wolfenstein titles will get in the country.

The news was announced on a Bethesda community post. The post, which is in German, makes it appear that this was a last-minute announcement. As such, two parallel versions of the Wolfenstein games were developed, one censored and one similar to the versions released around the world. Both versions of Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot and Wolfenstein: Youngblood will be available for purchase. They will both be rated USK18, as the only difference between the two versions are related to the games’ depictions of Nazis (and the language, as the international release is in English). The depiction of violence is still the same across the two releases, as usual.

This comes as Germany begins to relax its stance on Nazi imagery in video games. Such moves were already made in other entertainment mediums, like film and television, but it was announced that video games would be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Considering how integral the Nazi regime is to the Wolfenstein series, it’s not entirely surprising to see this development.

While this move concerns the two newest Wolfenstein games, we shall see if Wolfenstein: The New Order and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will get similar releases in Germany, as well. In addition, it’s unknown if this dual release will be standard for the series moving forward, or if we’ll get one unified version. As these situations are on a case-by-case basis, we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds for Wolfenstein.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood, the first game in the rebooted series to feature co-operative play, centers around Jessica and Sophia Blazkowicz as they travel to Paris to search for their father B.J. Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot, on the other hand, will be a VR-exclusive adventure. Both will release on July 26, 2019.

[Source: Bethesda via ResetEra]