A bunch of previews have gone out about the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle title that’ll arrive on Xbox Series X/S and PC and then later on in 2025 on PS5. The game hopes to invoke the style of the movies while continuing Dr. Jones’ unique adventures within the video game space. If you didn’t know, he’s had plenty of adventures on gaming systems in the past, including the point-and-click variety. The new game wants to embody that while also taking things to the modern generation of gaming. However, to help “keep it in line with the movies,” they had to bring in a certain group to be Indy’s rivals: The Third Reich.
Anyone who has seen the original trilogy knows that the Third Reich was a part of the first and third films and was the one that Indiana Jones fought against to save the world by protecting the artifacts that they wanted to use to bolster their power. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has a similar plot in that regard, and developer Machine Games has put a special message in front of the game, as noted by sites like VGC, to let people know that they use these enemies only in a specific way:
“Please note that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a fictional story, inspired by historical events and characters. Names, characters, organizations, locations, and events are either imaginary or depicted in a fictionalized manner, not intended to disrespect any historical or cultural beliefs. The story and contents of this game are not intended to and should not be construed in any way to condone, glorify, or endorse the beliefs, ideologies, events, actions, persons, or behavior of the Nazi and fascist regimes, nor any other regimes or to trivialize any war crimes, genocide, and other crimes against humanity.”
Many will be appreciative of this statement, especially given certain things going on in the political sphere right now. Key figures are citing many of the Third Reich’s “beliefs,” even if only in a “roundabout” way to avoid comparisons.
It also should be noted that the game itself takes place within the timeline of the films between the second and third movies when World War II was still going on, and thus, the Germans were still in power. Thus, it makes sense for them to use the Third Reich as the enemies of Indiana Jones once again, if for no other reason than to continue the “rivalry” from the films.