Wolfenstein: The New Order release date announced, pre-orders come with DOOM beta access

Bethesda have started firing out FPS news like bullets from the personal arsenal of B.J. Blazkowicz.

Bethesda have started firing out FPS news like bullets from the personal arsenal of B.J. Blazkowicz. One lodges into the head of our trusty robotic dog, announcing that Wolfenstein: The New Order has a release date. Another is drowned out by an Inception-like caterwaul, revealing Wolfenstein: The New Order's new trailer. The third arrived alongside the improbable buckshot of dual-wielded shotguns. It told us that pre-orders of Wolfenstein: The New Order would secure access to an upcoming beta for the next DOOM.

To tackle the Wolfenstein news first, The New Order will be arriving in the US on May 20th, and in Europe on May 23rd. It looks like a thoroughly silly game, but one with some big, chunky weapons to unload.

As for DOOM, it's a bit of a surprise to see. Between rumours of an indefinite delay, and Bethesda's reveal that id Software had started over with the gamelast April, it was unclear whether the project would ever see the lights of Hell. That said, there's a QuakeCon on the way, and it'd be something of a downer if the studio had nothing to show.

Not that there are many firm details on the beta, or the game it's for. On Bethesda's FAQ pagefor the pre-order bonus, they essentially find seven different ways to tell people they're not answering questions.