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Wolfenstein and now Indiana Jones developer MachineGames is hiring for its next AAA project, and its latest job listings may give us some inkling of the direction it's taking.
Hawk-eyed MachineGames fans (via Tech 4 Gamers) recently flagged a relatively new listing for a senior animator, which first popped up in April according to metadata. Because the listing calls for a "passion for video games and especially for first-person immersive games," with bonus points for "strong familiarity with MachineGames' titles," some have interpreted it as a strong indicator that another Wolfenstein game is in the works, but that's not necessarily the case.
The modern Wolfenstein reboots certainly defined the "immersive" style of shooter that MachineGames has been known for for many years, but another game in that vein doesn't have to be a de facto Wolfenstein 3. However, an old LinkedIn post from one MachineGames lead did indicate that the studio has an unannounced game in the works in parallel to Indiana Jones, though we never heard what that is.
The possibility is there, but it's also important to remember that, two years ago almost to the day, Bethesda SVP Pete Hines confirmed that while the company sees the interest in Wolfenstein, MachineGames would be head-down on that Indiana Jones game we still know very little about.
"We literally just announced that deal, so you can make your own guesses at how far along that is. They're in the very, very, very early stages of working on the Indiana Jones game," Hines said at the time. "Where we are for Wolfenstein, or quite honestly any other franchise that we don't have announced plans on, will have to wait until we get to the point of wanting to talk about it. But you can put me at the head of the list of people who want to see another Wolfenstein game, so no worries there."
There's also the question of whether these job listings could instead shed some light on the Indiana Jones adventure. A slightly older listing for a render programmer notably mentions "developing our upcoming AAA titles," with the plural titles potentially putting in some work and implying MachineGames has multiple projects in the pipeline.
This could leave the door open for both Wolfenstein and Indiana Jones awaiters to let their dreams run wild, but that said, especially given the role, there are good odds this is just referring to the tech powering whatever the studio makes in the future, not specific or immediate projects. There's also notable contrast in a senior AI programmer listing which specifies "our next upcoming AAA title."
I'm more interested in this listing for a senior level designer, which stresses ways to "prototype the environment, establish the layouts and use interactive and non-interactive means with focus on pacing, narrative integration and flow." This is not at all unusual verbiage for this discipline, but the emphasis on fitting "narrative ambitions in the levels" dovetails with MachineGames' style, which is encouraging.
Whether it's Wolfenstein, Indiana Jones, or something else, fans are clearly hungry for more games that play like the Wolfenstein reboots, and the few crumbs gleaned here certainly support – or at least don't shut down – those hopes. If nothing else, this speculation is a timely reminder that we're probably about due for an update from MachineGames, if only to give fans something tangible to latch onto.
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