Wolfenstein: The New Order: Top 10 Facts You Need to Know (Interview with Narrative Designer Tommy Tordsson Björk)

6. Is this new installment in the Wolfenstein series developed to be more a serious take on the plot or a return to the campy action-movie feel of series past?

Wolfenstein The New Order

TTB: We wanted to do more with the narrative in this game than what has been done in previous Wolfenstein games. So, there is definitely more depth to the story and more characters with well-rounded personalities. But we didn’t want to keep hitting the same note over and over through this long, epic journey, so the story goes to a lot of different places.


7. How did the development team ultimately decide that this game should only include a single-player campaign? 

Tommy Tordsson Björk

TTB: As a studio, we’ve always been most passionate about making story-driven single-player games and Bethesda wants their developers to go with their passions. Bethesda also has a good track record when it comes to single-player games like Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Dishonored, so it felt kind of like a perfect marriage for us.


8. Can you describe some of the more character-focused instances where “B.J.” takes a break from the intense combat? Such as the one where he takes a certain “test” from two Nazi officials? 

Wolfenstein The New Order

TTB: The test sequence is where B.J. is undercover on a night train heading for Berlin. He runs into Frau Engel, a sadistic Nazi officer, who decides to put him through an ad-hoc personality test. The purpose of this scene was, besides being an obstacle in B.J.’s way, to introduce the character of Frau Engel in a situation where bullets aren’t flying and to create tension without the immediate threat of violence. We have a few of these kind of scenes where players are in control to make the story more immersive.


9. How has the id Tech 5 engine impacted the overall development of The New Order? 

Wolfenstein The New Order

TTB: It’s been great working with the id Tech 5 engine, particularly the mega texture feature has allowed us to add a huge amount of variety and details to the environments that could not have been done in another engine. And the way we can cram all these next-gen features into the game and still maintain 60 fps at a 1080p resolution is simply incredible.


10. Do you have any plans to extend the single player campaign with planned DLC in the future? 

Wolfenstein The New Order

TTB: Right now, we’re excited about the launch and happy to see the fans’ reactions on our take on the Wolfenstein series.