The Wolfenstein series is stepping into bold new territory next year with Wolfenstein: The New Utopia, exploring an alternate history in which the Nazis were defeated in 2016.

MachineGames’ Anders Hoek is hopeful that the upcoming game, which will be “considerably more peaceful” than previous games in the series, will lose none of the series’ contempt for the contemporary enemy.

“For Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, we promised players that there was plenty you could do with a hatchet and a Nazi”, Hoek says. “For The New Utopia, we thought it would be good to show a world where hatchets are used for, like, chopping wood, because the Nazis are all in prison, and because wood is a good clean renewable resource.”

You’ll play as Senator Blazkowicz during his congressional term in a 2017 America – elected in a landslide victory after your efforts in previous games mobilised a mass resistance against fascism – and your goal in the game is to “pass legislation through congress in line with the climate aims set out in the Paris Accord”, and, ultimately, to “hold corporations responsible for their malfeasance” in the wake of their proprietors being imprisoned.

Asked if there would be any shooting in the game, Hoek stiffened. “I suppose you could shoot a photo of your family opening their presents on Christmas day?” he responded. “Or perhaps attend a documentary shoot where a young black filmmaker discusses your platform on affordable housing, and the lives it has ultimately saved? I’m afraid I don’t really understand the question.”

On the subject of whether there would be any unintended consequences, or things the world would have lost in this alternate universe, Hoek expressed some regret that Richard Spencer would have no longer been punched in the face in this reality, because he would “be busy attending prison classes and learning how to respect others” on the inauguration day of ‘Unconfirmed Alternate President’.

Preview events for The New Utopia have resulted in vicious criticism from reactionary journalists and YouTubers, who claim that the peaceful, democratic and idyllic world where Nazis have been actually defeated is “the real fascism”. In one 3 hour-long video on the subject, prominent commentator Harlon ‘Intellexxx’ Blemp suggested that what MachineGames were attempting to do amounted to “a disturbing new kind of social engineering”.

“If people see this kind of free, open society, which genuinely is attempting to resolve the deep wounds of the past and has zero tolerance for fascism or discrimination, they’re naturally going to want to recreate that in the real world,” said Blemp to his 670,000 followers. “That’s exactly the same as what the Nazis did. Exactly the same.”

While he conceded that the game had “taught him a lot about systematic racism that he had been blind to previous” and that he had been “moved to tears” by Blazkowicz’ stirring address to the United Nations halfway through the demo on the “simple value of peace”, but that he missed the “realism” of the older games in the series.

Wolfenstein: The New Utopia will release in late 2020. It has been banned in America and Australia.