Wolfenstein 3D - Legacy

Legacy

Wolfenstein 3D has been termed the "grandfather of 3D shooters", specifically first-person shooters, as it established the fast-paced action and technical prowess commonly expected in the genre, while also bolstering the popularity of the genre. It has also been acknowledged as solidifying shareware distribution as a serious and profitable business strategy. The release of id Software's hit game Doom the year after Wolfenstein 3D served as an additional impetus for a wave of imitators. Most of these games were distributed via the same shareware strategy as Wolfenstein 3D.

Wolfenstein 3D introduced a fresh formula to the PC game market that blended together disparate elements from both computer and arcade game genres. Wolfenstein 3D successfully combined the fast pace and quick reflexes of arcade action games that pit the player against multiple enemies that come in increasing waves of speed and complexity, with the first-person perspective of some early role-playing video games (such as Wizardry) that attempted to provide players with an immersive experience. While prior computer shooter games were most often scrolling shooters, Wolfenstein 3D helped move the computer market away from scrolling shooters toward first-person shooters.

Although id Software had not designed Wolfenstein 3D to be editable or modified by the players, users did develop character and level editors to create original alterations to the game's content. These efforts strongly influenced id Software to design the later titles like Doom and Quake to be more easily modifiable for the end user. The source code of the game was published by id Software on July 21, 1995, while the artwork data, music and software tools of the game remain under copyright. Bethesda Softworks, which bought id Software in 2009, celebrated the 20th anniversary of Wolfenstein 3D's release by making available a free-to-play, browser-based version of the game on its website on May 5, 2012.