I'm not sure what I was expecting from a retro gaming remake about Nazi robot armies, but this trailer surely isn’t it. (And that's a good thing.) Agency AKQA and production house Psyop have created a slick, compelling and enigmatically dark preview of Wolfenstein: The New Order, scheduled for release later this year. Wolfenstein is one of the oldest franchises in gaming, dating back to Castle Wolfenstein in 1981. Its most famous installment, 1992’s Wolfenstein 3D, allowed you to kill Hitler while he stomped around in a robotic suit, which was about as enjoyable as it was ridiculous. In the trailer below, though, we see a much darker and more ominous take on the Nazi robot, which is apparently the Reich’s foot soldier of choice in this alternate history’s 1960. The 100-second teaser clip is definitely a fine piece of commercial cinematography, but I remain skeptical that the new Wolfenstein—or any game about a guy shooting giant, goose-stepping robots—can live up to this level of gravity.
CREDITS
Client: Bethesda Softworks
Agency: AKQA
Michael Powell – Creative Director
Akira Takahashi – Creative Director
Ed Davis – Account Director
Paul Chang – Senior Account Executive
Andy Haynes – Senior Motion Designer
Production Company: Psyop
Jon Saunders – Creative Director
Lucia Grillo – Executive Producer
Jen Cadic – Producer
Jon Saunders – Designer
Edward Laag – Designer
Kenesha Sneed – Designer
Ram Bhat – Designer
Cass Vanini – Editor
Robin Nishio – Storyboard Artist
Eban Byrne – Lead Technical Director
Pat Porter – Animation
Kitty Lin – Animation
Eric Chou – Animation
Dan Fine – Modeling
Bryan Eck – Modeling
Jordan Harvey – Modeling
Zed Bennett – Rigging
Eban Byrne – VFX
Fabio Piparo – VFX
Jonah Friedman – Lighting
Andy Gilbert – Lighting
Keith Kim – Lighting
Oliver Castle – Lighting
Andy Hara – Lighting
Brandi Diminio – Lighting
Michelle Ko – Lighting
Nick Tanner – Lead Compositor
Bo Kim – Compositing
Tim Regan – Compositing
Tobey Lindback – Compositing
Nick Tanner – Flame Artist
Music Production Company:
COPILOT Strategic Music + Sound
Jason Menkes – Music Producer
Ravi Krishnaswami – Music Arranger
Sound Design Company: Defacto Sound
Dallas Taylor – Sound Designer
Ken McGill – Sound Designer
Samson Neslund – Sound Designer
Music Licensing: Brandracket
Chris Parker