This week, Bethesda Softworkds and MachineGames officially announced a new digital standalone video game for the Wolfenstein franchise with Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. The announcement is great news because it means MachineGames will again delve into the world of Wolfenstein, a franchise the developer brought back from the dead in 2014. Hopefully, the new digital release is a sign that MachineGames sticks with Wolfenstein and will create a sequel to The New Order.
I initially thought the announcement for Wolfenstein: The Old Blood meant that MachineGames was working on a sequel. However, I realized that The Old Blood is in fact a prequel to the events of The New Order. Then, for a split second, I was annoyed that MachineGames was developing a prequel instead of an actual sequel. Finally, I realized this is more or less a digital, standalone expansion for Wolfenstein: The New Order. That means The Old Blood is more or less a placeholder or appetizer before MachineGames releases a sequel.
MachineGames did a tremendous job in reviving the Wolfenstein franchise with Wolfenstein: The New Order. The game was a blast to play and featured a grim, yet interesting, alternate version of history in which Nazi Germany was victorious in World War II. However, the ending of the game was rather abrupt and a bit of a letdown. It definitely seems that MachineGames left doors open for a possible sequel. I see the new digital release as a sign of things to come. Wolfenstein: The New Order was a success, so MachineGames is moving on to the next segment of the franchise. Hopefully, the digital prequel will get MachineGames and players jazzed and ready for a full sequel to The New Order.
In addition to the game announcement, Bethesda released an official trailer for The Old Blood. It looks like The Old Blood will have a lot of fun mechanics and set pieces. There will be a cable car stage that looks like it was taken right out of the classic war movie, Where Eagles Dare. The trailer also has a fun moment where protagonist BJ Blazkowicz finds a shotgun and a handsaw and starts turning the shotgun into a sawed-off shotgun. A flaming corpse falls into the room, and BJ starts grinding the saw over the barrel faster. Clearly, the amusing sense of humor from The New Order has not been lost.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is due out for a digital-only release on May 5. The game will be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC.
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