This weekend at PAX Seattle, Gearbox Software announced that they have picked up Duke Nukem Forever and will release it sometime next year. Duke Nukem Forever was first announced 13 years ago to follow the release of Duke Nukem 3D in 1996, but due to countless problems it never happened.
If you’re one of those handfuls of people that have been waiting 13 years to finally play this game, then this is great news. But aside from that handful, most gamers haven’t even heard of Duke Nukem, and don’t intend to learn more about it. I don’t blame the community for giving up on the sequel, and unfortunately this final attempt to push it out is a little too late.
Aside from the name brand and the interesting development history, there is nothing appealing about another first-person shooter for the HD platforms. For a game that has been in development for over a decade, I can’t imagine the technology feeling comparable to modern shooters, and I also can’t imagine it selling very well either.
The Gearbox team is full of talent, and their talent was shown in their new IP Borderlands which ended up being my favourite game of 2009. It’s not that I don’t have faith in the development team; I don’t have faith in the game. Duke Nukem Forever, well, took forever to confirm its release, so aside from the fan fare; it makes no sense to do it now.