This article, and the video above, contain minor story spoilers for Wolfenstein II.
The German version of Wolfenstein II has been censored, altering a scene depicting Adolf Hitler. The changes were likely introduced to circumvent German laws forbidding the depiction of Nazi symbols.
Check out our Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus PC review.
In most versions of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, there’s a scene in which a group of actors are being chosen to play the role of the game’s protagonist, BJ Blazcowicz, for a Nazi propaganda film. At the beginning of the scene, Hitler enters the room, and is met by a chorus of ‘Heil Hitler’. As the scene progresses, one character refers to him as ‘Mr Hitler’, rather than ‘Mein Fuhrer’, driving Hitler into a rage, and accusing the character of having Jewish heritage, before shooting him dead.
In Germany, depictions of Nazism are illegal, and as such, several details have been changed. For one, Hitler isn’t supposed to be Hitler. He’s referred to as ‘mein Kanzler’ (my chancellor) rather than mein Fuhrer, and his signature toothbrush moustache has been removed. The swastikas hanging from the walls of his office have also been changed for a made-up symbol that Bethesda used to replace the symbol across its European adverts. The new character’s rage at the end of the scene is also more focused on the idea that the actor he shoots is a spy than on his potential Jewish heritage.
You can check out a comparison of the changes made in the video above.