By Is Wolfenstein 3 ever going to arrive? Following two stellar first-person shooters—and a couple of decent side stories—that successfully brought legendary Nazi-slayer BJ Blazkowicz into the modern age, supporters are still left hanging for the narrative conclusion. As things stand, creator MachineGames already understands where the tale is headed, because the team envisioned the saga as a three-part arc from day one.
“The debut entry centers squarely on BJ,” studio head Jerk Gustafsson notes in a fresh Noclip documentary. “Sure, he recognizes the Reich’s victory, yet it’s also a deeply intimate voyage—he encounters Anya and begins to grasp that more is at stake than simply battling fascists. Transitioning into New Colossus, the circle enlarges; comrades-in-arms become your resistance family while you brace to start a family of your own.”
“It’s worth stressing that we’ve always treated this as a trilogy,” Gustafsson goes on. “So BJ’s arc—even in those earliest id brainstorming sessions when we outlined New Order—included clear beats for the middle chapter and the finale. I mention this because, fingers crossed, Wolfenstein isn’t finished. We still have a narrative to finish.”
That’s still a long way from an official green-light for Wolfenstein 3, yet it reassures us that the concept hasn’t been shelved. It’s tough to stay annoyed about the wait when the studio just unleashed the terrific Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but can anyone truly relax knowing a roaring showdown with Mecha-Hitler might exist only as a glimmer in a designer’s mind?
Clues about Wolfenstein 3’s direction emerged via the futuristic co-op offshoot Youngblood, which MachineGames stressed at launch is “canon to the story,” though that revelation spawns more riddles than solutions. Could the next installment push even deeper into the future? Or will it slip into the gap before Youngblood? Only time will reveal the answer.
Wolfenstein 2 remains one of the finest shooters ever crafted.