Gearbox buys Duke Nukem franchise from 3D Realms @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on September 05, 2010

News: All future Duke Nukem games will go through Gearbox. Looks like Duke Nukem 5 will appear well before 2025.

The Duke Nukem Forever saga continues to get weirder. Today at the Penny Arcade Expo, Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford announced that not only will his company be developing DNF but "We actually bought the brand. We bought Duke Nukem."

All together now... no ****in' way!

Pitchford got his start in the video game business working at 3D Realms (on Duke Nukem 3D no less), so this marriage really seems like a match made in heaven. The Gearbox president revealed that he even hired Alan Blum, Duke Nukem's creator, to work on Duke Nukem Forever.

Duke's former stewards at 3D Realms, Scott Miller and George Broussard, seem pretty thrilled about this bizarre turn of events:

"Gearbox was handpicked as the new home for Duke Nukem because of their continued passion, commitment and long-time heritage with the brand and 3D Realms," commented Scott Miller, co-founder of 3D Realms. "The gaming community's love and demand for the Duke Nukem brand never wavered and Gearbox will not disappoint them."

"Gearbox was the only home appropriate for the Duke Nukem brand. They are very talented and possess the perfect perspective and understanding of the brand. Their vision for its future direction is exciting and unbelievable. I personally cannot wait for fans to see their unique take on the franchise," said George Broussard, co-founder of 3D Realms.

In a press release, Gearbox revealed that Duke Nukem Forever will be the first "Duke Nukem brand" game available when its released in 2011. This news likely leaves Duke Nukem: Critical Mass, an original handheld title planned for a Fall 2010 release, in limbo. Neither the publisher (Deep Silver) nor the developer (Frontline Studios) has made any new announcements concerning the game in over a year.

But even if Critical Mass has been given the mighty boot, Duke Nukem Forever is just the first of multiple new Duke games from Gearbox Software. Who knows, maybe even the rumored Duke Begins will make a comeback.

We'll have more soon.