Hitler Has a Shave and Name Change in German Release of Wolfenstein 2

Hitler has a shave and name change to meet German law

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus has released this week to generally strong reviews. There are some that simply love the Nazi first-person shooter. There is just one problem with the franchise, the awkward question of Germany (don’t mention the war!!!).

You may not be aware, but in German, there are strict rules and laws regarding the depiction of Hitler and the Nazi’s in general. In brief, all Nazi imagery is banned and this, as you can imagine, makes a game set around the Nazi regime (and it’s moustachioed head) a bit tricky.

In the German version, therefore, certain changes have been applied. Most notably of which is the removal of Hitlers most famous appendance, no, not his one testicle. They certainly had more success than the UK’s proposed removal of REDDIT.

Hitler bears a striking resemblance to Salvador Dali here…

Yes, that image is a joke!

So, what changes can you expect to see in the German version? Well, firstly, as above, Hitlers famous moustache has gone. Removed completely, a clean-shaven Hitler, with a bit of assistance from my broken mind and Microsoft Paint. I am so eternally grateful Microsoft didn’t drop the Paint program for reasons exactly like this.

In addition, Hitler is not Hitler, at least, he’s not ‘mein fuhrer’. In a report via PCGamesN, he is referred to as ‘mein Kanzler’  (my Chancellor) rather than the more popularly known title of Fuhrer.

Finally, as you would expect, all Swastikas are gone.

While I can understand the obvious sensitivity of Nazism in Germany and of course the obvious wish to not display the imagery, this censorship to me almost seems a little silly in these terms. I mean, it’s not as if Hitler or the Nazi’s are the protagonists here.

What do you think? Pointless censorship? Out-dated concepts? Or a sensible move for a country dealing with an unfortunate past? – Let us know in the comments!