In April of 1997, it was announced that Duke Nukem would become Duke Nukem Forever, and a whopping twelve years later, Nukem lovers are still awaiting information on when they can get their hands on the game. The launch was planned in 1998, there was a hint of seeing the game in 2000, and in 2001 we got a peek at the official two- minute game play trailer. Sometime in 2006, 3D Realms had been circulating demo discs of this much-awaited game, and several gamers were absolutely sure its time had come.
Recipients of the demo disc even got some bonus features; including information on why the game has been so long in the making. It seems the developers were working on making the game runnable on all platforms. However, with this goal comes a lot of rewriting of code for each platform.
To avoid this cumbersome process, they reportedly rewrote the code using a special framework, as an Ajax application. This, in lay terms, means that this game would work on every platform, including, yes, wait for it.... the web browser! So, why we didn’t get to see the game sooner is anyone’s guess.
For several reasons, at this point it would logically seem very futile to hazard a guess on its ultimate release.
This is mainly owing to the most recent controversy the game has been fraught with. This month has seen the shutting down of the 3D Realms Studios due to financial constraints. Subsequently, they were slapped with a law suit by publishers, Take-Two Interactive for failing to deliver Duke Nukem Forever as per their contract, in spite of millions of dollars being paid for the game.
Following the studios closure, several former 3D Realms employees uploaded demo clips and concept art onto the internet, which was eventually retracted, albeit a little too late.
Although, Take-Two Interactive continues to hold the publishing rights to the game, 3D Realms (who are still operating as a small company) has no funding to complete the game. That said, whether this game will ever find its way to a gamers PC or console remains to be seen. My advice: Don’t hold your breath.
