9. Localization as Adaptation in the
Wolfenstein Franchise
Werner Schäfke-Zell
Abstract
In a globalized market, media products are adapted to fit the constraints
of specific markets and appeal to their preferred tastes. As the Wolfenstein
franchise is set against the backdrop of the Second World War, it has to
address cultural memory in a preferred way. The franchise constructs
cultural memory of the Second World War and the holocaust differently, depending on the intended audience. “Family friendly” versions
exist, tailored for branded platforms such as NES and iOS, as well as
“sanitized” versions for the German market, where legal provisions pose
constraints on depictions of Nazism. The resulting corporate adaptations of Wolfenstein games are shown to contradict the intention of legal
statutes regarding cultural memory, and lead to further mythologization
of Nazism.
Key words: Localization; video games; cultural memory; National Socialism in popular media; Wolfenstein; law and humanities
Introduction
Cinema, video games, comics, and novels continue to deal with the Second
World War, National Socialism (NS), and the Holocaust. The foci of these
media products range widely from historical documentation aimed at
enlightening the audience about the inhumanity of the Holocaust (e.g.
Maus; Schindler’s List), to films spicing their plot with Nazi antagonists
(e.g. Raiders of the Lost Ark; Captain America), to mere “Nazisploitation” that
Fehrle, J. and W. Schäfke, Adaptation in the Age of Media Convergence, Amsterdam University
Press, 2019
doi 10.5117/9789462983663_ch09
Wolfenstein Franchise
Werner Schäfke-Zell
Abstract
In a globalized market, media products are adapted to fit the constraints
of specific markets and appeal to their preferred tastes. As the Wolfenstein
franchise is set against the backdrop of the Second World War, it has to
address cultural memory in a preferred way. The franchise constructs
cultural memory of the Second World War and the holocaust differently, depending on the intended audience. “Family friendly” versions
exist, tailored for branded platforms such as NES and iOS, as well as
“sanitized” versions for the German market, where legal provisions pose
constraints on depictions of Nazism. The resulting corporate adaptations of Wolfenstein games are shown to contradict the intention of legal
statutes regarding cultural memory, and lead to further mythologization
of Nazism.
Key words: Localization; video games; cultural memory; National Socialism in popular media; Wolfenstein; law and humanities
Introduction
Cinema, video games, comics, and novels continue to deal with the Second
World War, National Socialism (NS), and the Holocaust. The foci of these
media products range widely from historical documentation aimed at
enlightening the audience about the inhumanity of the Holocaust (e.g.
Maus; Schindler’s List), to films spicing their plot with Nazi antagonists
(e.g. Raiders of the Lost Ark; Captain America), to mere “Nazisploitation” that
Fehrle, J. and W. Schäfke, Adaptation in the Age of Media Convergence, Amsterdam University
Press, 2019
doi 10.5117/9789462983663_ch09