Kotaku is reporting the rumor that the once ill-fated Duke Nukem Forever might have another shot at making it to the retail market. Kotaku's sources claim that the game has been picked up by none other than Gearbox Software, the studio responsible for the highly-successful, Borderlands, and will continue the work started by 3D Realms.
Gearbox was reportedly developing a spin-off to the Duke series, Duke Begins, as revealed by court documents in 2009. The title was scrapped shortly after it was unearthed, leading to speculation that Forever might be the reason for Begin's demise.
3D Realms began development on Forever all the way back in 1997. The game was passed between no less than four publishers over the years, and to this day, has only been seen in brief trailers and leaked footage. The obvious joke around the industry revolved around the games title, and the seemingly endless development and reboots that plagued its production.
Take-Two Interactive remains the latest publisher linked to the game. When 3D Realms shut its doors in 2009, they were sued by Take-Two for failing to release the game in a timely manner, but the two eventually settled through an undisclosed agreement.
When Kotaku tried to contact Gearbox Software's president (George Broussard), he declined to comment on Forever, but did note that there would be clarification at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle, taking place Sept. 3-5.
Kotaku's sources also claim that there will be a demo for the game available later this year, but really, fans of the series know better than to take an anonymous source's word after years of missed deadlines set in official announcements from 3D Realms.
These are definitely rumors that should be taken with a grain of salt, but the possibility of Forever's resurrection is an exciting prospect. Hopefully, we will have some firm of confirmation at PAX, but I doubt anyone would be surprised if these rumors turned out to be anything but another chapter in the game's unfortunate history.
[ KOTAKU ]
