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Gearbox acquires Duke Nukem IP

PAX 2010: CEO Randy Pitchford announces purchase of all future rights to 3D Realms' storied action hero; Borderlands free update with raised level cap coming soon.

Who was there: Gearbox Software claimed the 2010 Penny Arcade Expo as its own on Friday with the shock announcement that it would see Duke Nukem Forever to the finish line in 2011. On hand to discuss the move, as well as the rest of Gearbox's announced development slate, was CEO Randy Pitchford, chief creative officer Brian Martel, creative director Mikey Neumann, licensing head David Eddings, and cinematics director Brian Thomas.

"Always bet on Duke."

What they talked about: Though Friday's revelation that Gearbox would be finishing up 3D Realms' Duke Nukem Forever was perhaps the biggest news out of the Penny Arcade Expo, the studio followed it up with another headline-worthy announcement. Namely, Pitchford revealed in front of the PAX 2010 collective that Gearbox has acquired the Duke Nukem intellectual property, including Duke Nukem Forever and all future developments in the franchise, from 3D Realms. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Explaining how the deal went down, Pitchford noted that he and Martel had actually met while working at 3D Realms, way back in 1997, and Gearbox still had a strong relationship with George Broussard and others at that studio. "I feel like I owe Duke Nukem my career," he said, before bringing up last year's turmoil of 3D Realms' closure and the lawsuits that resulted. "That day sucked, but you can't kill Duke."

He said that even with the game's future grim, about eight or nine former 3D Realms developers continued to work on Duke Nukem Forever, including Allen Blum, who has been working on the franchise since its inception in 1991. The game they were making is the same that is being made at Gearbox, he said, noting that Blum and the others--but not Broussard--are still on the team. He also said that the game is currently in the polish phase and that "arrangements need to be made with first parties and retailers." Apparently, 2K Games hadn't even informed retailers of the game's existence until it was announced on Friday.

"The game that is happening is 3D Realms' game," he said. In an emotional moment, Pitchford went on to say that, "I didn't buy [Duke Nukem] from them; they sold it to me," emphasizing how protective 3D Realms has been of its quintessential action hero.

"Gearbox was the only home appropriate for the Duke Nukem brand," Broussard said as part of a statement. "They are very talented and possess the perfect perspective and understanding of the brand. Their vision for its future direction is exciting and unbelievable. I personally cannot wait for fans to see their unique take on the franchise."

"The Gearbox Software team and I are ecstatic that we have grown to a position to be able to pick up and carry the torch and help Duke rise back to glory in his time of need," Pitchford added. "Fans of the legendary hero and all the incredible talent that have ever helped him all deserve the very best support that we can bring."

For more information on Duke Nukem Forever, check out GameSpot's hands-on with the game from PAX 2010.

As for the rest of what Gearbox has been working on, the team first discussed what was going on with the Borderlands franchise. Namely, Pitchford noted that Borderlands' fourth, and ostensibly final, downloadable content add-on--Claptrap's New Robot Revolution--will arrive on September 28. He also noted that all Borderlands owners will receive a free patch for the game that rebalances it and increases the level cap to 69.

Of that number, Pitchford said that they did not want to alienate Borderlands fans who purchased General Knox for the sake of gaining that DLC's 11-level cap increase. "We realized that if we added eight levels, with the cap at level 61, it wouldn't piss off people who paid for the General Knox DLC." A release date for the free patch has yet to be determined, but Pitchford noted that it should arrive some time around the launch of Claptrap's New Robot Revolution.

Martel then briefly discussed Gearbox's Brothers in Arms franchise, saying that they had nothing to announce today. However, he did emphasize Gearbox's commitment to the franchise, hinting that the series may branch out from the characters established in recent installments. "We'll have some things to talk about soon. We're not ready quite yet to bring it out," Pitchford added.

Martel also didn't have any news about Aliens Colonial Marines, noting that it has been difficult to talk about the game due to involvement from rights owner 20th Century Fox and publisher Sega. However, Pitchford seemed to bend the rules a bit, calling for a rapid-fire succession of screenshots of the game to be shown on the conference hall's big screen.

Though brief, the shots showed a group of marines engaging richly detailed alien drones in what appeared to be a space station's corridors. The shots were highly reminiscent of the tone established by Ridley Scott's 1979 original Alien.

Quote: "Always bet on Duke."--Randy Pitchford.

Takeaway: The next game Gearbox will deliver is the Duke Nukem Forever that has been more than a decade in the making, with many of the original developers still working on the project. Of course, fans of the series probably won't believe it until they see it; a fact Gearbox recognized and promised to do something about as soon as possible.

193 Comments

  • Wylen0

    Posted Sep 12, 2010 10:04 pm GMT

    Hurray for gearbox, they are really good developers!

  • Hurvl

    Posted Sep 10, 2010 10:55 am GMT

    When there's no more room in development hell, the dead games will walk the Earth.

  • ebookerd1

    Posted Sep 9, 2010 11:43 am GMT

    Gearbox continually bringing the awsome back to gaming!!!

  • Digital_DJ_00

    Posted Sep 8, 2010 8:36 pm GMT

    Well whatever the case, I'm not one bit excited for Duke Nukem Forever considering that all the previous titles were mediocre... "Always bet on Duke" Is that your way of hyping your fanbase after 13 years of waiting? Honestly, I was expecting a much bigger debut for this game after all this wait.... But then again; I wasn't expecting this game to come out at all.

  • UltimateRAGEX

    Posted Sep 8, 2010 8:28 pm GMT

    This game has been a joke for like forever (pun intended)

  • chilipalm

    Posted Sep 8, 2010 7:16 pm GMT

    Thank god Broussard's not on the team. He's the one that held back the development of the game all these years.

  • e-EqualsMcp

    Posted Sep 8, 2010 4:19 pm GMT

    @Digital_DJ_00 Duke Nukem 3D came out in 1996 not '97. And, yes, Duke Nukem forever was announced in 97, if you can count thats 13 years of development time. Everything mrzero said is correct.

  • Digital_DJ_00

    Posted Sep 8, 2010 2:56 pm GMT

    @mrzero1982pt2 "forever started out with the quake 2 engine. this was in 1997 when i was beginning high school"

    The first Duke Nukem came out in 1997...right? Are you saying Duke Nukem Forever was announced on the same year the first Duke Nukem title was released?

  • mrzero1982pt2

    Posted Sep 8, 2010 7:05 am GMT

    @Digital_DJ_00 forever started out with the quake 2 engine. this was in 1997 when i was beginning high school. then it jumped to the unreal engine a year later. basically a port to another engine. it jumped from those to being rumored to go to consoles. and these days if a game comes out on pc, it is destined to come out on consoles, so, i am not trying to say you are WRONG, but you should really read up on things too. just enjoy the fact that the game is coming out now

  • IWKYB

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 5:09 pm GMT

    So they are starting from scratch then? 3D realms just took money and did nothing. I want Borderlands 2 more than this hyped dinosaur.

  • Digital_DJ_00

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 3:46 pm GMT

    @mrzero1982pt2

    http://pc.ign.com/articles/088/088645p1.html

    This is the oldest article I could find concerning Duke Nukem Forever production status... Does it mention that production was delayed due to next-gen consoels? No. If you can find an article or some kind of proof to back up your statement then I'll admit faulty. And yes I perfectly remember Starcraft:Ghost. However, that game wasn't "officially" scrapped due to production delays, it was scrapped because Blizzard CEO's flat-out didn't like the direction it was going in. So they canceled it. After all I don't blame them; they have a staggering track record for award-winning and critically acclaimed games. All of which sold millions. Though their production speed is very questionable...

  • kvan33

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 3:00 pm GMT

    Gearbox is a talented shop. Still I have reservations that they can turn this aged franchise into a current gen masterpiece. I don't see multiplayer being anything that can trump CoD or Halo, so it'll need to have one stellar single player campaign...and a boat load of great reviews.

  • The_Godfather_

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 2:11 pm GMT

    they finally completely dumped 3D Realms, huh? What a sad ending for 3D Realms..

  • gbrading Site moderator

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 12:04 pm GMT

    The story behind this game gets more convoluted and incredible every time I see it.

  • jadefury27

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 11:34 am GMT

    all this over a game that wont rate any higher than a 7 on any game site.

  • PcGamingRig

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 11:02 am GMT

    nice so hopefully if Forever is a flop because of its development problems we may see a proper current gen Duke game anyway.

  • SirMordredX

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 10:34 am GMT

    Well hopefully we'll be seeing a lot more of the Duke now that a [I hate to say this...sorry 3D Realms...] competent developer is working on the franchise finally.

    @fLaMbOaStiN Duke Nukem 4-Player...Duke and three chicks to save the universe. Sounds good.

  • ffviiifreak posted Sep 7, 2010 10:08 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    ffviiifreak

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 10:08 am GMT (hide)

    Duke Nukem to be released never. So stop stringing us along.

  • storm_trooper10

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 10:02 am GMT

    hmmm yay???

  • fLaMbOaStiN

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 9:44 am GMT

    I loss excitement for DNF about 5 years ago, but now i'am actually more excited then ever for this game! Gearbox is a awsome company and i'am interested in seeing what spin they put on DNF; even tho they claim the games pretty much 3D Realms it's interesting to see what little touches Gear Box will add.. And it'll defiantly be interesting to see the next Duke Nukem Game after DNF that'll be tottaly developed by Gear Box..

    Imagine a Boarderlands / Duke Nukem Hybrid lol awsome!

  • mrzero1982pt2

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 8:36 am GMT

    @Digital_DJ_00 not really. the game was in development when i was 14. it was scrapped for development for the ps2 and xbox and then ported over to development on the current gen systems(newer pc's xbox 360, ps3). it is common for a game company to stop development on a game for a console to send it to another console. remember starcraft ghost? that was scrapped, but not before there were rumors that it was being held off to be developed for the wii. developers always do it. the game they had at PAX was the same game from what it looks like that were in tons of duke nukem forever trailers last year. so... get your facts straight

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 8:35 am GMT

    @Rickystickyman

    But StarCraft 2 simply took a long time to develop; it never became the complete punchline that Forever has become. DNF is literally the defining term for vaporware now... that's a much different animal, marketing-wise, than 'man, Blizzard takes forever to launch their games.' Once Blizzard announced StarCraft 2, it developed slowly but surely into a future blockbuster. It hasn't died seven times on the operating table like poor Duke.

    I'd love to be wrong, but it's hard to fight a decade of Internet humor and lost expectations.

  • mrzero1982pt2

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 8:33 am GMT

    there is a god

  • ryuz4kee

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 7:23 am GMT

    @Rottenwood

    Definately not true, most of the game (if not all) is already done by now. All Gearbox has to do is test for bugs and polish it up a lot.

  • GoKuVeGeTaGoHaN

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 6:59 am GMT

    its a no brainer

  • PixelAddict

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 6:34 am GMT

    Wow, I wasn't really thinking about or planning on getting this or any other Duke Nukem game, but with Gearbox now running the IP, I'm interested.

    After the incredible Borderlands, I'm watching out for anything Gearbox-related.

  • Rickystickyman

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 6:23 am GMT

    @Rottenwood I have to disagree, while agree. The game can still be good, and it can still live up to its hype. I mean look at starcraft 2? It took them like 11 years or something and it lived up (somewhat) to its hype. And there isn't a new blockbuster shooter coming out every 2 weeks. The only ones I can think of are Doom. Actually that's it! There have been some straight to DVD but that isn't blockbuster. I think the Duke Nukem game should come out, but they better have something REALLY good or it will fall flat on its face.

  • Rottenwood posted Sep 7, 2010 6:09 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Rottenwood

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 6:09 am GMT (hide)

    Just let it die already. The game is basically an urban legend now; a running joke for hardcore gamers.

    Even if some company DOES manage to finish it (and let's face it; the game has to be re-developed from scratch at this point), there's no way to make a product that can meet the expectations that a decade of hype has raised. Half the FPS audience will have never even heard of the franchise by the time it drops (if it ever does) and with a new blockbuster FPS game coming out every two weeks, it's not like the market is hurting for more Duke. I loved DN3D, but guys, it's over.

  • King_Gamer19

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 5:59 am GMT

    Duke who?

  • BlackPhoenixBG posted Sep 7, 2010 4:48 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    BlackPhoenixBG

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 4:48 am GMT (hide)

    I wish companies would stop rap*ng duke's corpse and let him rot in peace once and for all..

  • nate2442

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 2:27 am GMT

    @Digital_DJ_00

    100% Agree...

  • Digital_DJ_00

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 2:12 am GMT

    "The next game Gearbox will deliver is the Duke Nukem Forever that has been more than a decade in the making" Let's be realistic here Gamespot, it hasn't been in -production- for a decade, it's been on -hold- for a decade... There's a big difference. As for the news that it's finally back in production status; it's gonna take another year just to get the graphics engine up to par with today's standards due to the enormous delay that this game has suffered.

  • Black_Adder_

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 1:51 am GMT

    Haven't seen it of course, but from last experiences the big franchise names actually bring the big disappointment lately. Fallout 3 looked more like post apocliptic Elder Scrolls, FFXIII had my award of all time stupidest story line and the most boring gameplay.
    When there will be some pics or trailers then I'll start to think about DN.

  • DXB95

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 1:32 am GMT

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia_TYW9-OCY

  • lil_luz_10

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 12:24 am GMT

    yay!!! so a game that will have connectivity issues if they throw in a MP!!!

  • Cloud-Zehro

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 11:03 pm GMT

    @dynomitemasta From what I heard, Gearbox pretty much had to start from ground zero, cause everything was such a mess... Personally, I don't think 3D Realms deserves any credit, all they gave us was lies and tom foolery, I bet they weren't even working on the game... They just owned the rights to the name...

    @zideeq And I quote from the Duke himself... "You're an inspiration for birth control."

  • P90E21

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 10:50 pm GMT

    Oh and most importantly lets not forget ALL THE BABES to see and save ^o^. Hail to King again 2011. Welcome back Duke.

  • P90E21

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 10:45 pm GMT

    Well they spent the time making it with excuses included on every disc ^^. But I am glad to see some one get it together and give the King another chance at life. I just hope it lives up to the Duke Legacy.

  • dynomitemasta

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 9:02 pm GMT

    So Gearbox is only putting on a final coat of wax then.... that's a relief, it would be a shame working on something for that long and then someone coming in and taking all the credit.... it's gotta be a bitter sweet moment for 3D Realms, I know some of the crew has got to be pissed. At least the franchise can move forward now.... and NOT in a Matt Hazard sorta way, I hope.

  • rebel_punk34

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 8:57 pm GMT

    Well we waited a long time, let's hope this game will be more bang for it's buck. Please let it be worthy of 60$...I beg you gearbox...

  • Predalien3000

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 8:48 pm GMT

    I don't know about you guys, but I'm glad to see Gearbox pick-up the franchise and not just some random company buy it from 3D Realms and ruin it. I haven't played much of Gearbox's games, but really I thank Gearbox a lot for the Opposing Force expansion for Half-Life.

  • BallisstiXXX

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 7:31 pm GMT

    Oh ffs just bring it out already.

  • SolidTy

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 7:10 pm GMT


    Well, let's hope GEARBOX does an incredible job.

  • maxwell97

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 7:00 pm GMT

    Gearbox is definitely a good developer, but I'm worried whether this will warrant a purchase. Duke3D is a classic, but most of what made it stand out at the time - environmental destruction, working mechanisms, flashy weapons - have become standard. The only thing that might give it a leg up on a brand-new IP is the character of Duke himself, which is admittedly pretty awesome.

  • Neo_Sarevok

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 6:32 pm GMT

    @ zaibutzu I'm sure they will. Some phenomenal documentaries have been done on Valve and Call of Duty, just to name a few. I love the "All your History" series:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsg18eDqgmA (CoD)

  • Neo_Sarevok

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 6:28 pm GMT

    @ RiP_ili That's the exact reason why it is taking so long: The developers keep tearing it down and building it back up, but the developers keep getting shuffled around and incur financial complications, so no one can settle on anything. No doubt for Gearbox to release this as soon as 2011 means there was preexisting content - as there should be!

    Check out the evolution of Duke Nukem: Forever's trailers from its infancy. It gives a great appreciation of how the game has evolved and potentially how many times they've had to tear down and replace their old work:
    http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/duke-nukem-forever-twelve-years-of-trailers/1409747

  • parrot_of_adun

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 5:53 pm GMT

    @RiP_ili

    That's actually mostly the reason.

    It started with the id Tech 2 (Quake II engine), then moved to the Unreal engine, then id Tech 4, and now the Unreal 3 engine.

  • zaibutzu

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 5:43 pm GMT

    A DOCUMENTARY can be made chronicling the making of this game!!! That would be awesome

  • RiP_ili

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 5:25 pm GMT

    How does a game take 10 years or more to make? Wouldn't they have to start over at some point due to new hardware and technological advances, just to keep the graphics and gameplay somewhat relevant?

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