Id Software surprised fans by announcing the launch of four new dedicated servers for Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. As a result, players of the 2003 Wolfenstein multiplayer title can log in now to play the original, unmodified game and maps preserved just as they were 19 years ago.
Released nearly two decades ago, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory is an outlier in the series. A stand-alone class-based multiplayer spinoff of Return To Castle Wolfenstein, it's been kept alive by a small but dedicated fanbase.
Players have been hosting their own servers for decades, featuring a variety of mods and custom maps. While these aren't going anywhere, developers wanted to cater to Wolfenstein fans looking for a more nostalgic experience. This led id to open four regional servers running the vanilla version of Enemy Territory. The supported regions are US: Texas, EU: Netherlands, AU: Canberra, and UK: London. The servers are named "id Software Official Vanilla Server" followed by the region's name.

Developers note that all official servers use the default Campaign mode, where players go through all six vanilla maps in sequence. There is also a limit of 16 players to a server. The developer's announcement further notes that while id Software is hosting Official & Vanilla Servers, the servers will be unmoderated. However, players who encounter problems can reach out to customer support by visiting help.bethesda.net. In addition to the four new Official Servers, id also used this opportunity to announce that the game is now available on the Microsoft Store, making now a decent time for new players to check out Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory.
For those unfamiliar with the game, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory’s developers initially planned for it to be a multiplayer expansion pack for 2001's Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory players choose between five different classes with unique tools, weapons, and abilities and must complete objectives to secure victory for either the Axis or Allies. The six maps are inspired by real-world events and locations, in contrast to the supernatural events and science fiction technology that dominate the rest of the franchise. Enemy Territory was also notable for being the first multiplayer-focused Wolfenstein game and the only one until the co-op FPS Wolfenstein: Youngblood came out in 2019.
Today’s announcement saw a generally positive response on Twitter, though many fans seemed more interested in the planned but so far unannounced Wolfenstein 3. Bethesda's Pete Hines confirmed that the game was on its way in 2019, saying, "Absolutely, we're making a Wolfenstein 3." However, with developer MachineGames still busy working on a new Indiana Jones title, it might still be some time before the next installment of the rebooted Wolfenstein franchise.

Source from gamerant.com by Daniel Deangelo