"Return to Castle Wolfenstein" no longer indexed in Germany

“Return to Castle Wolfenstein” is no longer indexed in Germany. With a decision dated February 24, the Federal Center for Media Harmful to Young Persons (BzKJ) has removed the German version of the first-person shooter released in 2001 from the index.

This was first reported by Schnittberichte.com. The delisting of “Return to Castle Wolfenstein” can be traced in a notice from the Federal Gazette (pdf). According to this, in addition to the PC version, the extended console versions “Tides of War” and “Operation Resurrection” were also removed from the index.

The delisting is remarkable because content is usually removed from the index after 25 years anyway, as long as no subsequent indexing occurs. “Return to Castle Wolfenstein” was indexed in 2002, so it would likely have been removed from the list in 2027 and could then generally be distributed and advertised again in Germany. It is unclear whether Bethesda itself has applied for a new review. Bethesda did not immediately respond to an inquiry from heise online.

Swastikas in video games possible

“Return to Castle Wolfenstein” was indexed due to a high degree of violence, even though a cut version without Nazi symbolism was released in Germany. Swastikas and other Nazi symbols were taboo in video games in Germany at the time anyway. It was only in 2018 that the German legal interpretation changed. Since then, the social adequacy clause of § 86a para. 3 of the German Criminal Code, which was already applied to films, can also be extended to video games.

The social adequacy clause permits swastikas in titles if they serve art or science, the depiction of current events or history. The USK must decide on a case-by-case basis which games meet this requirement. In practice, several modern “Wolfenstein” games with swastikas have made it to the German market. The international, uncut version of “Return to Castle Wolfenstein” would also have to be submitted for review if Bethesda still wants to release it in Germany.

Nor is this the first time a “Wolfenstein” game has been removed from the index: in 2019, the Munich District Court lifted the seizure of “Wolfenstein 3D.” Later, the shooter was removed from the index by the Federal Review Board. Since then, it can also be purchased in Germany. The store pages for “Return to Castle Wolfenstein” on Steam and GOG, however, remain blocked in Germany.

(dahe)