"Head-Turning" New Duke Nukem Game Teased, But Don't Expect it Soon
"I did not acquire the franchise merely so we could all experience Duke Nukem Forever."
Gearbox Software is getting started on an all-new Duke Nukem game that the developer thinks has the potential to turn heads when it is finally released. The developer's president and CEO, Randy Pitchford, announced today that Gearbox--which owns the Duke Nukem franchise--has done early concept work for a follow-up to 2011's critically panned Duke Nukem Forever.
"I did not acquire the franchise merely so we could all experience Duke Nukem Forever. That was the toll to pay to give Duke a chance," Pitchford said during his keynote address at the Develop conference today, as reported by IGN. "That said, I liked that game. I got to see it from a slightly different perspective and it was marvelous to me."
Pitchford went on to tease that Gearbox has "done some concept development [for a new Duke Nukem game]," but warned fans that this game might not come soon and Gearbox may not even develop it.
"Gearbox is very busy," Pitchford said. "I think the faster way is that a correct developer can become interested and we can work with them. I think it's a challenging problem. But, I'll tell you one thing. When it does happen, there's no doubt that the whole industry will turn its head and look."
Texas-based Gearbox is currently working on the MOBA-like console and PC shooter Battleborn, as well as a third Borderlands game and possibly even a new Brothers in Arms. Pitchford did not name any studio candidates to develop a new Duke Nukem if indeed Gearbox decides to hand it off to an outside team.
As for why Gearbox is thinking about reviving Duke Nukem, Pitchford went on to say that the Duke Nukem brand is popular with the mainstream audience, probably more than Borderlands. But for Duke Nukem Forever, many only cared about the game because of its 14-year development schedule, he said.
This isn't the first time the topic of reviving the foul-mouthed action hero has come up. Following the game's release in 2011, the CEO of the game's parent publisher Take-Two Interactive teased, "You will see future Duke [intellectual property] coming from this company."
In his 3.5/10 Duke Nukem Forever review, GameSpot critic Kevin VanOrd wrote about the game, "The bland and ugly Duke Nukem Forever turns a famous gaming icon into an embarrassment."
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