By Jim Rossignol on August 11th, 2010 at 9:57 am.

Intriguing rumours are circulating thanks to the big K: Gearbox are said to be finishing off Duke Nukem Forever. It’s even claimed that a playable demo of the game will appear later this year. Take 2, George Broussard, and Gearbox have all declined to comment, but Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford has offered some hope by saying that he might be able to reveal more about the situation at PAX in September. Interesting times.


“in September”
Hahaha. Good thing they didn’t say which year.
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And it will then have gazillions of weapons, the Dukester can level up and spend points in a dumb skill-tree and everything will have thick, black outlines because it looks so BAD-ASS!
No Gearbox, please don’t do it. If Borderlands is any indicator for the kind of “humor” they embrace, i’d rather want the Duke to remain dead.
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This is the joke that keeps giving.
Why the dickens did they think picking the title up would be a good idea? The level of vitriol that’s going to be levelled at them if the game is anything but perfect is insane. They may as well make a game based on Jesus slaying polar bears.
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I imagine it will be sort of like Doom3. A nice trip down memory lane in terms of playable nostalgia with a couple of good moments, but generally blah and soon forgotten but for the years of hype.
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That’s my take to. It’ll be a ‘cash-in’ game based around the borderlands tech. So corridor-y with repetative game-play elements.
Shame. Duke was actually good fun.
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Two words: Anthony Burch
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Gamer vitriol has managed to influence precisely jack-squat in recent memory so I doubt they’re particularly worried about what angry people type on the internet.
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jack squat? like real names on blizzard net?
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“That’s my take to.”
Actually, it’s 2K Gearbox.
HIYOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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Actually, I think you’ll find it’s spelt 2K-
…
Don’t you hate it when someone makes the same joke a day late? Goddamnit.
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Yes, but will it be powered by Gamespy?
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It’s only appropriate for a game from the ’90s to be powered by ’90s technology.
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I think picking up the developement of DNF is the gaming industry equivalent to robbing aztec gold. You’ll get cursed by ancient gods and all kinds of terrible things are going to happen. Well basically just a whole lot of money going down the drain and no progress happening at all, but you know what I mean.
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When will it ennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd?!
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Ley Duke die already.
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Poor Gearbox. :(
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@DigitalSignalX
Totally agree. Bang it out at mid-price on Steam and they’ll coin it in.
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We can laugh all we want but we’re all curious to check it out for ourselves as well. I think it will sell reasonably well.
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Curiosity does not equal sale. It’s just free marketing.
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But, but.. will it surpass Quake 2?. Georgie said so!!!
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I don’t give a shit if the game is good or not. I just want to use classic lines like, “You’re an inspiration for birth control” again. I’m still waiting patiently. In the mean time, listen to Jon St. John be Duke for a laugh.
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http://www.3drealms.com/duke3d/outtakes.html
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@the outtakes.
Mr. La Forge make it so
Mr. Data suck my *beep*
funniest shit i heard in a while
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Do people actually want DNF?
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Hell yeah!
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No, just Michael.
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The people don’t want DNF, only Michael wants it, I mean.
Whether the people want Michael – I couldn’t possibly comment.
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I used to want it, but not any more. Michael, on the other hand…
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What’s the worst that could happen? (famous last words, I know…) If it’s shit (or just entirely average, like the last Wolfenstein) then I just ignore it, if it’s good, it’s another Duke Nukem game. So I can only win or be indifferent. I’ve given up writing myself into a nerd rage over some game remake (oh and I enjoyed Borderlands, apart from the ending (what ending?))
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of course! i don’t understand why everyone is so against it. big deal, its been an eternity in the making, doesn’t mean it won’t be fun.
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Oh my God. I’ve never realised before.
DNF = Did Not Finish
Maybe this was the plan all along? That would explain how there was only 5 minutes of gameplay from 10+ years of “work”
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And with strange aeons even death may die.
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Oh Duke… we still love you even though John St. John made you out of plagiarized movie dialogue
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Well played gearbox , well played.
Heres to another 12 years.
Lets be honest , the game is going get hyped , its going to suck and people are going to buy it. (me included.)
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Why do people even still care?
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Probably because Duke is the best character in any game ever. ;)
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It’ll be weird if it’s actually released. It’s been a myth within gaming for so long, it’ll be like Jesus actually turning up at the end of the year: “Apocalypse time. What, you thought I was kidding?”
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I’s funny that you say this, because I’m pretty sure the release of Duke Nukem Forever would be the first Sign of the impending Apocalypse…
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I predict it will finally be released on 21 December 2012
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Btw., were they planning to use the Megadeth version of the duke theme in the game? Cause that one truly rocks.
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Oh, man. I hope so. It would be such a shame not to.
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What was the great thing on Duke Nukem? Guns, Boobs, Pigs, a motherf…ing bad ass and some really cool new graphical things.
Break it down for today:
(ESRB or FSK PoV)
Guns? – Ok we dont like them but ok.
Boobs? – OMFG they got Boobs in their game, BAN IT BAN IT.
Duke himself? – OMFG he said “Eat shit and die” BAN IT BAN IT.
Pigs? – Are those Enemies Cops who look like Pigs? OMFG BAN IT BAN IT.
Graphic? – Ok.
Sad but true.
Im would love to see Duke back on my Screen but im sure he will never be the one again that i love in my childhood.
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Yeah, and the fact that it’s about shooting and killing and murder and destruction and hate? Huh, we Americans haven’t even noticed that one. We thought it was just awww-right, as long as you call it “freedom fighting” and “holy war”, to do mass murder all around the world. Ok, of course that rule only counts for “red-blooded Americans”.
You know what I call this reality distortion? A mental illness of a nation. It needs to be healed, by killing the cancer in it with fire or nuking it from orbit! But my personal favorite would be, to put all the crazy people from the US and Iran in one country, and all the good people from both countries in the other. An then just let nature solve it herself! :D
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I think the long develop time somehow helps the marketing.. originally it’s just of relevance to certain fans, sort like Sonic games but minor. Now the brand is in the recognition of everyone who has passing interesting of gaming industry.
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Done when it’s done.
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Duke Nukem Forevers development puts the Valve Time of Ep3 in perspective…
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Honestly, who gives a shit about Duke anymore?
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I honestly don’t understand this question/attitude.
If Gearbox makes a fun Duke game, is it somehow going to be less fun because there’s been a long time since the last one?
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No, not at all, just like if it’s a fun DX/Fallout/XCom/Synd game it doesn’t matter it’s using an old name. But they don’t seem to be making their own vision of Duke or reviving along dead and beloved franchise – just picking up someone else’s terrible legacy.
If they have the skill to make a funny, racy, technologically progressive FPS game they should do it on their own, not using a name that’s been an industry joke and public vapourware since 1997.
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On the contrary, if Gearbox has the ability to make a funny, racy, technologically progressive FPS, they’d be fools not to jump at the chance to attach it to an IP like Duke Nukem.
Making a great game? That might bring them success if the stars line up right.
Making Duke Nukem Forever? Almost guaranteed to make a profit even if it sucks.
Making Duke Nukem Forever and it’s actually great? They’d be heroes. They’d make Blizzard-scale money.
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Id laugh harder if it turned out to be crap.
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Isn’t “DNF” used in racing sports when a driver didn’t make it until the end of the race?
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Did Not Finish. Yeah, that’s been one of a great many running jokes with this title for like a decade now.
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CHAIN REACTION
CRITICAL MASS
PROVING GROUNDS
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Quite frankly, it says a lot about a game when even it’s haters can’t get over the fact that people still anxiously carry a true love for the ripyourheadoffandsh*tdownyourneck Meister and constantly profess their secret alien killer love by stating that they are SO over it and totally NOT going to like, play or buy it.
N****z best be finishin’ mah Duke!
Also, given everything that’s now known and disclosed about the game’s progress, they shouldn’t be able to botch too much of it, what with the engine, most art, weapons etc already “locked down”.
Unless of course they wanna pull a Broussard and start from scrap now that totally awesome new $randomengine is out.
Oh sh…
Sudden onset of unjustified UT3 pop-in texture nightmare angst.
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Pop-in? More like poppin’ fresh!
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Always bet on Duke
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Really, it’s a good job Gearbox have such a reputation for finishing their games on time.
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As much as I’d like to hop on the “LET DUKE DIE!” bandwagon without prompt…
I think the tiny, dim, flickering hope of the 3DRealms production of DNF was that it was becoming one of the most meticulously detailed FPS ever made. Go look around on youtube for trailer and tech demo footage. True that DNF was always playing catch-up with technology, one of the things that kept many people interested was the sheer amount of creative action sequences. From speedboat fights to aliens climbing over rooftops and dropping down on top of you, it seemed to be on hell of a thrill ride.
If this latest rumor turns out to be true? Well, kiss the anal attention to detail goodbye. I don’t really have faith that Gearbox would be able to follow that same path, and instead opt to produce a functional but unfulfilling product. Yeah, a lot of peoples’ expectations of DNF scale towards the messiah or cure for cancer. However, that’s the albatross of the franchise while it continues to not go quietly into the night. It’ll be a Duke Nukem game, but not the one we’ve been waiting for.
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Didn’t Jace Hall visit Gearbox and 3D Realms for the same episode (years ago now)… hmm indeed. I’d rather have Aliens: Colonial Marines first though.
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Balls of steel
I dont care if it took 12 years and still not finished i dont care if it will take 20 years
I want my Duke god damn it
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It’s the gift that keeps giving agaaaain!
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YogSo:
Nah, that would be the second sign, and Guns ‘n’ Roses already released Chinese Democracy…
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Gah! Reply failure….
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Oh shi- Repent! Repent! The end is nigh! Repent! Repent! We’re all gonna die!
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Guys, Gearbox has made more games than fucking Borderlands. Just because Borderlands has cell-shaded graphics doesn’t mean their future products will. Fucking hell.
(Mainly aimed at the people up top)
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God, we will never be free of this fucking game.
Duke was never a good enough idea to be worth all this bullshit. He was barely a good enough idea to be worth Duke3D.
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I’d much rather they got themselves round to making Aliens: Colonial Marines than finishing off some one else’s left overs.
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I’m not buying this (the whole “we’re going to finish DNF” thing – I probably won’t buy the unfinished DNF product either). I said it a few years ago, and I’ll say it now… They can’t make a new Duke Nukem game, until such time as there is a new ‘Evil Dead’ movie, from which they can steal Duke’s one liners.
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Yeah, for all we know, Ep3 will be out this summer! It’s the end of the world!!!
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Please just leave it dead…
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I love this so much
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they should just let it die with some dignity. The expectations are so high by now that the game can’t live up to them, no matter what…
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They could never live up to expectations. I think that caused a lot of the development problems. I think if we’re willing to forget the stupid hype and accept a game that is merely pretty good then we can be happy.
Unless it turns out it really is bad. That would be a sad end indeed.
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That’s his point! No matter how good it will become, we’ll always think it’s very bad, because we’re expecting so much.
They would have to rename it, and make clear that it’s another game. Even if it’s not!
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When 3D Reams finally quit on DNF I read in the big post-mortem that the game was in a perpetual state of ‘almost done’ (barring the restarts on a new engine), and that Broussard had severe difficulties with perfectionism, and could never let himself release it. If I remember right the game, when terminated, was in a pretty good state. Perhaps all Gearbox will have to do is touch things up a bit, give it a final polish, and we’ll get something very like what 3D Realms intended.
Would that be so bad?
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I think that people would lap this up simply out of morbid curiosity now regardless of how mediocre it might actually turn out to be. Personally I’m hoping for a happy ending to the whole DNF saga.
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Never bet on Duke
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Yeah, riiiight…! Sure. Or couuuurse.
If it comes out, I’ll eat my hat, clothes, shoes and dog, and will live on a diet of my car and my house from then on! ;)
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I heard Tupac is on the development team?
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Makes sense, it could be digital night-soil and they’d still make a packet.
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Wow, a Duke Nukem with chapter saves, infinite respawn even ontop of the player, a crappy console interface and ugly hand-drawn low resolution comic book style textures? ;) Nevermind, I’ll wait for Grimoire instead.
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