While MachineGames is well-regarded for its work on the Wolfenstein franchise starting with 2014’s Wolfenstein: The New Order, seeds for what the series would become in this incarnation could first be seen all the way back in 2009’s Wolfenstein. However, many details of the game have been lost to time, since it was released on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, and has been difficult to play on modern systems. However, it looks like Microsoft might be looking to bring the title back.
As caught by social media user Anonimo, changes were discovered on the SteamDB page for Wolfenstein, despite the title having been delisted from Steam entirely. A host of updates have seemingly been made to the metadata for the title, with some even mentioning modern features like controller glyph displays and default graphical configurations. Interestingly, among the changes is the original listed release date of the game – August 18th, 2009. This could hint at an upcoming remastered release.
There have also been mentions of Steam Deck compatibility, which would indicate that Bethesda and Microsoft are looking at a wide release for the 2009 shooter.
While neither of the companies has made any announcements as of yet, QuakeCon 2026 is right around the corner, kicking off on August 6th and running until August 9th. Bethesda has maintained a tradition of remastering some of the older shooter franchises it owns so far, and this year, we could see Wolfenstein getting the treatment. We’ve previously seen this happen with Quake, Quake 2, Heretic, and Hexen.
2009’s Wolfenstein was developed by Raven Software – a studio that was previously known for its work on classic shooters like Hexen and Heretic, and more recently known as a support studio working on the Call of Duty franchise.
The title revolves around American superspy B.J. Blaskowicz on a mission to stop the Nazi forces from being able to harness the power of an ancient alternate dimension known only as the Black Sun. While the Nazis have been using the power from the dimension to create new super soldiers and other monsters, Blaskowicz is equipped with a magic amulet that allows him to pull off some fantastical moves, like slowing down time, for example.
Interestingly, the story was a follow-up to 2001’s Return to Castle Wolfenstein, which laid many of the foundations of the Nazis and their obsession with occult artifacts leading up to the 2009 title.
Interestingly, while Wolfenstein: The New Order was a soft reboot for the franchise, developer MachineGames brought over some of the story elements from Wolfenstein to flesh out the world, including characters like Caroline Becker and Wilhelm Strasse. Many of the technological advances made by the Nazi forces in MachineGames’ series could also be attributed to their discovery and use of the Black Sun.
However, in terms of overarching continuity, the B.J. Blaskowicz of MachineGames’ titles is not the same as the one from the 2009 shooter, and the newer entries have also opted to take on a much more serious tone for their stories when compared to their predecessors.
