John Romero Auctioned Personal Copy of Castle Wolfenstein

Castle Wolfenstein was originally released in 1982 for various computers. John Romero, one of the members of id Software behind Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, has auctioned off is his personal copy of Castle Wolfenstein. The price it went for on eBay is astonishing.

Castle Wolfenstein was the basis of a genre

While Wolfenstein 3D is not directly connected to this classic game, they share more than just name. Stealth and killing Nazi’s is common in both games, more so in the 1982 classic.

Romero auctioned off a copy for the Apple II computer. For those that do not know, that is the same Apple that makes the iPhone today. Humble beginnings, folks.

Birth of a genre

Castle Wolfenstein was the inspiration for Wolfenstein 3D. The story lines are similar, you are a World War II soldier attempting escape from the Nazi stronghold. While the 1982 Apple II classic was an overhead action/stealth game, the 1991 id Software take was the opposite. Wolfenstein 3D was a quasi 3D game that pitted players the challenge of escaping the Nazi stronghold.

Both games allowed gamers to accomplish their goals in a myriad of ways.

Wolfenstein 3D may not have been the first First Person Shooter (FPS) it was the one that caught traction. Fans were simply amazed with the fun and uniqueness offered.

Owning a piece of history

While the auction for John Romero’s copy of Castle Wolfenstein is over, it is still a piece of history. Not only is this a copy of the inspiration for Wolfenstein 3D, it is from a pioneer in gaming.

There is no denying that John Romero holds a large position in gaming history. Without games like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake, PC gaming may not have taken off. These were games that drove computer sales, then graphics card sales.

According to 8BitDigi.com the auction on eBay started at $10. Check out what it sold for. You may be surprised and also looking at those old floppy disks a little differently now.

This article was originally published on Retro Gaming Magazine, a gaming website I co-own.