Why Duke Nukem Forever Was Never Ever

Duke Nukem Forever may be the greatest vaporware story ever told, and now it’s got a fascinating coda thanks to Wired contributor Clive Thompson. By interviewing former employees of Duke development studio 3D Realms — many of them anonymously — Thompson pieced together an explanation for why Duke Nukem Forever was in production for 12 years and was unfinished when 3D Realms shuttered in May. Much of the story is a rehash of public knowledge that DNF went back to the drawing board every time it was upstaged by another games’ breakthroughs. But sources inside the studio pin the blame on co-owner George Broussard, who lacked the discipline to ever let his baby out into the wild.

Because Duke Nukem 3D and its Build engine were such phenomena when the first-person shooter was released in January 2006, Broussard and 3D Realms were sitting on a pile of money. They funded Duke Nukem Forever themselves, but as Thompson explains, this was both a blessing and a curse. There was plenty of freedom, sure, but without a publisher to crack the whip, development never moved towards a conclusion. It all ended this year, when 3D Realms ran out of money and approached Take-Two Interactive, which owned the rights to the game, looking for help. What exactly went down is for the court to decide, as Take-Two has sued 3D Realms for failing to finish the game, and 3D Realms countersued with the claim that it never announced a release date and was therefore free from obligation. It’s a mess, but one thing’s for sure: You’re never going to play Duke Nukem Forever. [via Wired]