Happy tenth anniversary of being vaporware Duke Nukem Forever! After a decade of development there is still no sign of Duke Nukem Forever’s release or if it will ever come out. The whole Duke Nukem Forever story began when 3D Realms announced they licensed id’s Quake II engine for a follow up to Duke Nukem 3D. While 3D Realms and Take Two have been very quiet about the status of Duke Nukem Forever, except for the screenshot on the right. It appeared in 3D Realms’ company profile on Gamasutra. Maybe 3D Realms is still working on it, but after all these years of waiting will there be any excitement when it comes out? For nostalgia’s sake you can see the first official press release for Duke Nukem Forever past the break.
3D Realms Licenses id Software’s ‘Quake II’ Engine for `Duke Nukem Forever’
GARLAND, TX — In an unprecedented convergence of industry titans, GT Interactive Software Corp. (NASDAQ: GTIS), 3D Realms, a division of Apogee, and id Software are teaming up on Duke Nukem Forever, the sequel to the best-selling PC game Duke Nukem 3D. Under the agreement, GT Interactive obtains all interactive publishing rights for personal computer and video game systems to 3D Realms’ Duke Nukem Forever, which will utilize id Software’s proprietary cutting-edge Quake II game engine. In addition, GT Interactive obtains merchandising rights for all derivative works, including films, home video and books for Duke Nukem Forever, as well as rights on a future title, tentatively called Duke Nukem 5.
"`Duke Nukem 3D’ has become a premier interactive entertainment franchise and shows no signs of slowing as the title continues to sell-through at retail," said Ron Chaimowitz, president and chief executive officer of GT Interactive. "Obtaining the sequel rights allows us to expand the amazing growth and popularity of this dynamic property via integrated marketing campaigns and multi-platform versions." Duke Nukem 3D has captivated gaming enthusiasts by combining strong character development, gripping graphics and irreverent humor with an advanced 3D gaming engine. The resulting game play experience "raised the bar" for first-person action games prompting such leading industry publications as Boot and Wired magazines to respectively call Duke Nukem 3D the "absolutely best first-person action game of the year, bar none" and "the undisputed king."
"Teaming Duke Nukem, perhaps the most recognizable character in the PC industry, with the Quake II engine, the most advanced currently available 3D engine, is an amazing quadruple-win situation: for 3D Realms, id Software, GT Interactive, and especially players and fans of both Duke Nukem, Quake and high-action 3D gaming in general. What more can players ask for than combining the technology of Quake with the attitude and interactive gameplay of Duke Nukem!" said George Broussard, head of 3D Realms. In a recent article on the success of Duke Nukem 3D, The Wall Street Journal wrote, "Action-game hero Duke Nukem gives players something they can’t get elsewhere: a hero with attitude." The article also quoted industry publication GamePro who said, "This is the first game where personality has taken hold and become something unto itself." Duke Nukem Forever will further emphasize Duke Nukem as a strong action-game character who has already endeared himself to gamers worldwide.
Acclaimed for its technological 3D brilliance, id Software’s Quake joined Duke Nukem 3D at the top of the charts. id’s Quake II engine has enhanced capabilities over its predecessor, the end result of which will allow gamers to fully immerse themselves in a 3D environment like never before. "id Software has long been known as a innovator in 3D gaming and we are excited to be teaming with 3D Realms, a leader in their own right and Texas neighbor," said Todd Hollenshead, chief executive officer of id Software.
Offering multi-player competition via networks and the Internet, Duke Nukem 3D has consistently performed in the top 10 PC charts and later this year, GT Interactive is releasing the original Duke Nukem 3D for play on the Nintendo N64 and Sony PlayStation console systems. 3D Realms Entertainment, a division of the long-standing Apogee Software, Ltd., founded in 1987 and headquartered in Garland, TX, is 100 percent focused on creating highly innovative real-time 3D action games and nothing else.
Apogee is the pioneer of multi-episode shareware marketing for games and has won numerous industry marketing and game awards. Previous hit releases include Raptor, Rise of the Triad, Wolfenstein 3D, Terminal Velocity and Death Rally. On the web, visit www.3drealms.com for more information.
id Software, founded in 1991, is a development company located in Mesquite, Texas. id’s team of talented developers continue to make gaming history by creating and publishing one sensational game after another. Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM, DOOM II, Heretic, HEXEN and QUAKE have created a frenzied demand worldwide and have managed to consistently break shareware and retail sales records at home and broad. id Software, founded in 1991, is a development company located in Mesquite, Texas. id’s team of talented developers continue to make gaming history by creating and publishing one sensational game after another. Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM, DOOM II, Heretic, HEXEN and QUAKE have created a frenzied demand worldwide and have managed to consistently break shareware and retail sales records at home and broad. Headquartered in NY, GT Interactive Software Corp. is a leading global publisher of entertainment and edutainment software under the GT Interactive, Humongous Entertainment and Cavedog Entertainment brands for personal computers as well as video game systems from Sony, Nintendo and Sega; and Macintosh software under the MacSoft brand. Among GT Interactive’s best-sellers are Duke Nukem 3D and QUAKE. The company is also a leader in value-priced software. Located at https://www.gtinteractive.com on the World Wide Web, GT Interactive is publicly traded on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol GTIS.
