Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant documents that can help answer the question.
Query: When was Wolfenstein: The New Order first released?
The existence of "Wolfenstein: The New Order" was first acknowledged by Bethesda Softworks on 7 May 2013, through the release of an announcement trailer. Prior to this, Bethesda teased the upcoming project by releasing three images with the caption "1960". Though originally due for release in late 2013, the game was delayed to 2014 in order for the developers to further "polish" the game. In February 2014, it was announced that "The New Order" would launch on 20 May 2014 in North America, on 22 May 2014 in Australia, and on 23 May 2014 in Europe. The Australian and European release dates were later pushed forward, resulting in a worldwide launch on 20 May 2014. All pre-orders of the game granted the purchaser an access code to the "Doom" beta, developed by id Software. For the German release of "The New Order", all Nazi symbols and references were removed; it is a criminal offence to display Nazi imagery on toys in Germany. Following the game's release, MachineGames began developing "", a standalone expansion pack set before the events of "The New Order". It was released in May 2015.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a first-person shooter video game published by Activision, released on November 19, 2001 for Microsoft Windows and subsequently for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Linux and Macintosh. The game serves as both a remake and a reboot to the "Wolfenstein" series. It was developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Nerve Software developed its multiplayer mode. id Software, the creators of "Wolfenstein 3D", oversaw the development and were credited as executive producers. The multiplayer side eventually became the most popular part of the game, and was influential in the genre. Splash Damage created some of the maps for the Game of the Year edition. A sequel, titled "Wolfenstein", was released on August 18, 2009.
Following Market Garden's success, Activision and id Software asked Splash Damage to produce three additional multiplayer maps for the "Return to Castle Wolfenstein Game of the Year Edition". The same year, Splash Damage partnered with the two companies to develop "", a stand-alone expansion based on "Return to Castle Wolfenstein". The Windows version of "Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory" was released online for free on 29 May 2003, with Linux and Mac versions following later. "Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory" won several Game of the Year and Editor's Choice awards and remains one of the most popular online first-person shooter titles.
The development of "Wolfenstein RPG" has been a long and difficult task involving id Software, Firemint Software and Electronic Arts and many months of development. Mobile version was released in late 2008. EA Mobile announced the availability of Wolfenstein RPG on August 14, 2009, a new take on the classic game originally created by id Software, on the App Store. Wolfenstein RPG is a worldwide release to all territories that host the iTunes App Store, including Germany. It is compatible with iPhone and iPod touch and minimum requires is iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later. "Wolfenstein RPG" is the fourth generation of our turn-based titles under EA Mobile John Carmack, founder and technical director at id Software said that, "The App Store version is dramatically better than on any other platform, with by an order of magnitude more media in high resolution graphics and audio, all rendered fast and smooth with hardware OpenGL graphics acceleration."
Ten more titles, "Beyond Castle Wolfenstein", "Wolfenstein 3D", "Wolfenstein 3D: The Spear of Destiny", "Return to Castle Wolfenstein", "", "Wolfenstein RPG", "Wolfenstein", "", "" and "" have been published as games of the "Wolfenstein" series since the release of "Castle Wolfenstein" in 1981 by M.U.S.E. Inc.
The "Wolfenstein" series of video games started with the 1981 stealth-adventure video game "Castle Wolfenstein". It was developed by American programmer Silas Warner, a pioneer in the early eras of video gaming, especially the stealth genre. It was published by his (then) company M.U.S.E. Inc. (Muse Software). The player controls an unnamed American prisoner of war as he steals war files containing information about secret German war plans while avoiding or sometimes killing guards, and tries to escape the fortified Nazi stronghold Castle Wolfenstein, set during World War II. The game is often credited as one of the first video games of the stealth genre, since it focuses more on avoiding or disarming enemies, and killing them is considered a last resort.
Silas Warner, an American programmer and an employee of software company Muse Software, was a pioneer of early video game development, especially the stealth genre. He had access to computers in college, and when he worked for the IBM Mainframe architectures before joining Muse Software. The computer he used for game-development, P.L.A.T.O., was one of the firsts with multiple functioning terminals and an example of early computer networks. Warner developed, with P.L.A.T.O., a series of classic video games like his flight simulator and arcade shooter. Inspired by the arcade shooter video game "Berzerk" and the 1961 war film "Guns of Navarone", he developed "Castle Wolfenstein", a stealth-adventure video game in which the player controls an unnamed American prisoner of war as he steals German files containing secret war plans, while avoiding, disarming or at times killing hostile guards and trying to escape the fortified Nazi stronghold 'Castle Wolfenstein', set in World War II. The game was published in 1981 by Warner's company M.U.S.E. Inc. (Muse Software).
World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the "Warcraft" fantasy universe. "World of Warcraft" takes place within the "Warcraft" world of Azeroth, approximately four years after the events at the conclusion of Blizzard's previous "Warcraft" release, "." The game was announced in 2001, and was released for the 10th anniversary of the "Warcraft" franchise on November 23, 2004. Since launch, "World of Warcraft" has had seven major expansion packs released for it: "", "", "", "", "", "", and "".
On November 23, 2004, Blizzard released "World of Warcraft", a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. "World of Warcraft" is the fourth released game set in the fantasy "Warcraft" universe, which was first introduced by "" in 1994. Blizzard announced "World of Warcraft" on September 2, 2001. The game was released on November 23, 2004, on the 10th anniversary of the "Warcraft" franchise.
A video game adaptation of the book and film versions of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" was made for Microsoft Windows, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii, Game Boy Advance and Mac OS X. It was released on 25 June 2007 in the U.S., 28 June 2007 in Australia and 29 June 2007 in the UK and Europe for PlayStation 3, PSP, PlayStation 2, Windows and 3 July 2007 for most other platforms. The games were published by Electronic Arts.
The first-person shooter may be considered a distinct genre itself, or a type of shooter game, in turn a subgenre of the wider action game genre. Following the release of "Doom" in 1993, games in this style were commonly termed "Doom clones"; over time this term has largely been replaced by "first-person shooter". "Wolfenstein 3D," released in 1992, the year before "Doom", has been credited with introducing the genre, but critics have since identified similar though less advanced games developed as far back as 1973. There are occasional disagreements regarding the specific design elements which constitute a first-person shooter. For example, "Deus Ex" or "BioShock" may be considered as first-person shooters, but may also be considered role-playing video games as they borrow from this genre extensively. Certain puzzle games like "Portal" are also called first-person shooters, but lack any direct combat or shooting element, instead using the first-person perspective to help immerse players within the game to help solve puzzles. Some commentators extend the definition to include combat flight simulators where the cockpit or vehicle takes place of the hands and weapons.
Grand Theft Auto is an action-adventure video game developed by DMA Design and published by BMG Interactive. It was first released in Europe and North America in October 1997 for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. It was later re-released on 12 December 1997 in Europe and 30 June 1998 in North America for the PlayStation. It is the first instalment of the "Grand Theft Auto" series, to be followed by 1999's "Grand Theft Auto 2". The series, which has led to five main entries and several special edition games over 16 years, has sold more than 150 million units as of September 2013. The story follows a group of criminals in three fictionalised versions of US cities as they perform bank robberies, assassinations, and other illegal activities for their respective crime syndicates.
"Grand Theft Auto", the first game in the series, was released for Microsoft Windows and MS-DOS in October 1997, ported to the PlayStation in 1998 and the Game Boy Color in 1999. "Grand Theft Auto 2" was released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows, later receiving ports on the PlayStation, Dreamcast and Game Boy Color.
In 1992 "Wolfenstein 3d" is released, creating interest in what fps games could become. "Doom" (1993) bursts onto the world scene and instantly popularizes the FPS genre, and even how games are played, as Doom is among the first games to feature multiplayer capabilities. It was "Goldeneye 007" (1997), that introduced an engine that made development of first-person shooters for home consoles a practical idea. It is not until "Quake" (1996), however, that game developers begin to take multiplayer features into serious consideration when making games. "Quake II" (1997), "Unreal" (1998) and "Half-Life" (1998) feature the next evolutionary step in the genre with continual progression of the game (no levels in the traditional sense) and an entirely in-person view, and become one of the most popular video games in history.
"World of Warcraft" was first announced by Blizzard at the ECTS trade show in September 2001. Released in 2004, development of the game took roughly 4–5 years, including extensive testing. The 3D graphics in "World of Warcraft" use elements of the proprietary graphics engine originally used in "Warcraft III". The game was designed to be an open environment where players are allowed to do what they please. Quests are optional and were designed to help guide players, allow character development, and to spread characters across different zones to try to avoid what developers called "player collision". The game interface allows players to customize appearance and controls, and to install add-ons and other modifications.
Total War is a series of strategy games developed by The Creative Assembly for personal computers. They combine turn-based strategy and resource management with real-time tactical control of battles. The first of the series, "" was released in June 2000. The most recent major game released was "" on 3 May 2018. The series has sold over 20 million copies.
"Return to Castle Wolfenstein" received favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, it scores 88/100 (based on 32 reviews), and on GameRankings it scores 86.75% (based on 50 reviews). "Eurogamer"'s Tom Bramwell called "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" "a worthy addition to the stable of id Software affiliated shoot 'em ups. The single player game is average to good and takes quite a while to finish, but the game really earns its salt by shipping with a first class multiplayer element."
Following Bungie's split from Microsoft, 343 Industries – a studio established by Microsoft in 2009 – took the helm of the "Halo" franchise. 343 had already co-developed the "Halo Legends" animated series and had overseen production of "" and "". The next game in the series, "Halo 4", was announced at E3 2011 as the first entry in what would be a new series of "Halo" games, also known as the "Reclaimer Trilogy". The game included many staples of previous games, such as new or redesigned weapon types, an improved map-editing tool and expanded multiplayer options and maps. "Halo 4" was released worldwide on November 6, 2012, achieving record sales for the franchise. In a new addition to the series, a story-driven multiplayer campaign entitled "Spartan Ops" was released over the weeks following "Halo 4"s release, telling what happened after the end of the main game.
"Gears of War 3" received more than one million pre-orders. The game sold more than 3 million copies during its first week—higher than the previous two "Gears of War" entries. It was the second-best selling game only behind "Madden NFL 12".
"Planetarian" was released on November 29, 2004 via download over the Internet playable on Windows PCs, and was first made available only to Yahoo! Japan Broadband users. The game was opened up for general sale on December 6, 2004. Key released a CD-ROM version for Windows PCs on April 28, 2006 in limited and regular editions. An updated version of "Planetarian" compatible for Windows Vista PCs was released by Key on July 31, 2009 in a box set containing five other Key visual novels called Key 10th Memorial Box. Another updated version compatible for Windows 7 PCs called "Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet Memorial Edition" was released on April 30, 2010. The "Memorial Edition" also came bundled with the three previously released "Planetarian" drama CDs. An HD edition for Windows was released on July 29, 2016. "Planetarian" was released on Steam by Sekai Project in English for Windows on September 12, 2014, with later support planned for macOS and Linux devices. The Steam release was updated on September 17, 2014 to allow the user to switch to the original Japanese version of the game.
In early February 2013, during its quarterly financial call to investors, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that the next "Assassin's Creed" game, due for release some time before April 2014, would feature a new hero, time period, and development team. On February 28, 2013, Ubisoft posted their first promotional picture and cover for their next "Assassin's Creed" game, following leaked marketing material days before. It announced the title of the game as "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" and featured an unnamed character holding a flintlock and a sword with a black flag in the back ground containing the Assassin's symbol with a skull. A reported glitch on the official "Assassin's Creed IV" website suggested the game will release on next-gen consoles and October 29 as the release date, which was confirmed by the first trailer for the game, released on March 4, 2013 (originally leaked on March 2, 2013, but was quickly pulled by Ubisoft).
Wolfenstein: The New Order (Original Game Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the video game "". The soundtrack was released on 19 May 2014, consisting of an original score featured in the game. Composer Mick Gordon took inspiration from multiple sources while producing the soundtrack, ultimately creating over six hours of music. Critical reception to the soundtrack was positive, as reviewers considered that the music had been appropriated effectively for gameplay.
At E3 2017, Bethesda announced "", a sequel to "The New Order". It was released on 27 October 2017.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is an action-adventure first-person shooter video game developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was released on 5 May 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game is a stand-alone title in the "Wolfenstein" series and a prequel to 2014's "", set in an alternate-history 1946. The single-player story follows war veteran William "B.J." Blazkowicz and his efforts to discover the locations of a Nazi compound. Development began in 2014, soon after the release of "The New Order".
After developer MachineGames was founded, the employees all began brainstorming ideas, and pitching them to publishers. In June 2009, MachineGames owner ZeniMax Media acquired id Software and all of its property, including "Doom", "Quake" and "Wolfenstein". Bethesda Softworks, who had previously declined a pitch from MachineGames, suggested that they develop a new game from a franchise acquired by ZeniMax. MachineGames inquired about developing a new game in the "Wolfenstein" series; the studio visited id Software, who approved of MachineGames' request for a new "Wolfenstein" game. By November 2010, paperwork was signed, allowing MachineGames to develop "Wolfenstein: The New Order". Preliminary development lasted approximately three years.