Duke Nukem Forever development hell
The most recent main series installment, Duke Nukem Forever, ended a long development hell in 2011.
Duke Nukem is a video game series and media franchise created by the company Apogee Software Ltd. (now 3D Realms). The franchise follows the titular Duke Nukem as he battles against a military or an extraterrestrial force. Originally a series of video games for personal computers, the series later expanded to have games released for various consoles by third-party developers. The first two games in the main series were 2D platformers, while later games have been a mix of first-person and third-person shooters. In 2010, the rights of the series were acquired by Gearbox Software, who completed the development of Duke Nukem Forever and released it on 10 June 2011 in Europe and Australia and on 14 June 2011 in North America.
Quick Facts
- Character
- Duke Nukem
- Role
- Protagonist
- Affiliation
- Independent (loosely associated with the U.S. military or government)
- First appears
- Duke Nukem (1991)
- Status
- Released in 2011
Lore & Background
The most recent installment in the main video game series, Duke Nukem Forever, was delayed for more than a decade after the initial announcement during April 1997, leading to its being named as a piece of vaporware. Initial development had begun at 3D Realms, but in 2009, 3D Realms was forced to lay off a number of its staff, and development of Duke Nukem Forever stalled. Take-Two Interactive, which was to publish the game, sued 3D Realms for failing to deliver, which was settled in 2010. Gearbox Software had close contact with many of the laid off 3D Realms staff and quietly hired them to continue its development as Triptych Games. 3D Realms sold the rights to Duke Nukem to Gearbox in 2010. The game was officially released on June 10, 2011.
More in Development & Legacy
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