Mortyr

Plot

In 1944, a German winter offensive unexpectedly causes over 80% of European territories to fall under German control. The fall of London, destruction of Moscow, and capture of Washington D.C. end the war.

Rumors of a final Wunderwaffe emerge, but reports from survivors are unclear. By 2093, the Reich rules Earth under totalitarianism, and mysterious weather changes threaten destruction. General Jurgen Mortyr believes the Nazis are responsible and sends his son, Sebastian, back to 1944 to investigate and stop the events that could destroy humanity.

Development

The game underwent several conceptual changes before settling on a time-traveling World War II shooter. It began development as Netguard, a science fiction detective story, then restarted as a psychological horror game called Insanity, before becoming a World War II game. Initially, the World War II setting was to dominate, with time travel relegated to the epilogue, but the developers extended the concept to include future-based levels for the second half.

Two separate studios, based in Warsaw and Toruń, were involved. Interactive Magic picked up Mortyr in December 1998 and invested heavily in its launch, planning it as the company's largest retail launch since Apache. In April 1999, a global shipment of 100,000 copies was announced.

It was planned as the first release of iMagicGames, formed in March 1999 when Interactive Magic split its business. Before release, Interactive Magic called it the likely successor to Wolfenstein. Four stores, including Best Buy and Walmart, declined to carry the game due to its Nazi themes and visuals, though Best Buy reportedly said it would not sell.

Did You Know?

• A sequel, Mortyr II, was released in 2004, five years after the original.
• Two further installments, Mortyr III: Akcje dywersyjne and Mortyr: Operacja Sztorm, were released in 2007 and 2008 by City Interactive.