The Sad Tale Of Duke Nukem Forever

Duke Nukem is the real American badass action hero, who every kid wants to be. Women love him, and he always has funny clap-backs and catchphrases. The male ideal of the ’90s. Duke Nukem Forever is the 4th entry of the series, which took over a decade to be created, with development starting back in 1997 and was finally released in 2011. 3D Realms, the game studio that created it, they’re known for making other games that are popular, like Duke Nukem 3D, Wolfenstein 3D, and Max Payne.

Making Duke Nukem Forever, was a really tough ride. There were many problems and delays that kept popping up, with the game going through different versions and design changes, the release date kept getting pushed back, and it felt like the game would never be done. The long development cycle was caused by a bunch of different things, like technical issues, team changes, and changes happening in the video game industry and such.

The development team really had their work cut out for them. One of the challenges they faced was how the games kept evolving. Originally, they planned to make a sequel to Duke Nukem 3D, which was released in 1996 and was a major hit. But 3D Realms decided to start fresh with a whole new design that would incorporate all the latest technologies and design trends. Another reason that slowed things was how the team members kept coming and going. Many left over the years, including the lead designer and project manager. So, they had to bring in new people and them catching up with the project took time.

The company created its own game engine, which was used to develop Duke Nukem Forever. The engine was called the “Build Engine” and was also used to create their previous hit games, such as Duke Nukem 3D. But Build Engine became outdated, due to the fast evolution of the industry and the team encountered numerous technical issues and limitations within it. They finally decided to switch to a newer engine, which could handle better the game’s 3D graphics and other features. In 2003, 3D Realms announced their switch to Unreal Engine 2.5 from Epic Games. This engine already proved itself by having popular titles, including Unreal Tournament 2003 and 2004.

The change to Unreal Engine allowed the development team to create more complex environments and characters, as well as add more advanced physics and lighting effects. On another note, it meant that they had to start from scratch, building the game anew with the new engine.

3D Realms initially bankrolled the development of Duke Nukem Forever using the profits they made from previous game releases, such as Duke Nukem 3D. But as time went on, the cost of development grew, and they struggled to secure more funding. In 2000, 3D Realms decided to partner up with Take-Two Interactive and co-publish Duke Nukem Forever. The idea was that Take-Two would give more money to help 3D Realm deliver, then co-publish the game and make a profit. Unfortunately, this partnership didn’t do much to alleviate the funding problems, and the game remained in development for several more years with no release date in sight.

In 2009, Take-Two had had enough and sued 3D Realms for not completing the game as promised. They wanted their money back, of course. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court, and Gearbox Software took over the development of the game with Take-Two as the publisher. Despite having a new development team and publisher, Duke Nukem Forever still struggled to secure funding. Gearbox Software put in some extra cash, but the game’s release date was delayed multiple times.

Duke Nukem Forever received mixed reviews upon release. Many critics and fans found the game to be outdated and not up to par with modern gaming standards. The game’s graphics, design, and gameplay were criticized as being unoriginal and not living up to the expectations set by its lengthy development cycle.