Duke Nukem Forever demo incoming?

Duke Nukem Forever, a game long dismissed as vaporware, materialized in a big way at last week's Penny Arcade Expo. In a lavish surprise unveiling, Borderlands' Gearbox Software announced that it had taken over development of the game, which had been in development at the quasi-defunct studio 3D Realms since 1997. According to Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, Gearbox has also bought the Duke Nukem intellectual property outright and will develop all future installments in the franchise.

Not only was Duke Nukem Forever unveiled at PAX, but it was also playable in demo form on the show floor. And although the game won't be released until 2011 on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, Pitchford told UK gaming site VG247 that he is already looking at ways to release a demo to the millions of gamers who weren't at the event.

"I think that is an important thing to do," he told the site. "Now that the cat's out of the bag we can actually make those plans. Now we can get with retailers and figure out the launch window, and figure out demo timing, and work with the first-parties on that. We weren't able to do that until this point."

As outlined in GameSpot's hands-on preview from PAX, the game will feature the crude humor and hectic action that are the franchise's hallmarks. For more on Duke Nukem Forever, watch GameSpot's interview with Gearbox's Pitchford below.