3D Realms is still operational

By Robert Purchese Published 19 May, 2009

And has the rights to Duke Nukem Forever.

Duke Nukem Forever developer 3D Realms "has not closed and is not closing" and "retains ownership of the Duke Nukem franchise", according to a statement issued by the developer.

"Despite rumours and statements to the contrary, 3D Realms (3DR) has not closed and is not closing. 3DR retains ownership of the Duke Nukem franchise. Due to lack of funding, however, we are saddened to confirm that we let the Duke Nukem Forever (DNF) development team go on May 6th, while we regroup as a company," writes 3D Realms.

"While 3DR is a much smaller studio now, we will continue to operate as a company and continue to license and co-create games based upon the Duke Nukem franchise."

The statement further clarifies that while Take-Two owns the publishing rights to DNF, 3DR holds "certain rights to sell the game directly to the public", which presumably means digital distribution.

The two companies - 3DR and Take-Two - are currently trading legal blows following the DNF fiasco. Take-Two is suing the developer for failing to deliver a game, despite a reported USD 12m being poured into the project by the publisher.

3DR disagrees, however, and claims the publisher only spent USD 2.5m on Duke Nukem Forever, whereas the developer itself put in over USD 20m.

Furthermore, 3DR says DNF was hitting "mutually-agreed milestones", but then Take-Two "materially changed the parameters".

"Take-Two's proposal was unacceptable to 3DR for many reasons, including no upfront money, no guarantee minimum payment, and no guarantee to complete the DNF game," the statement explains.

"From 3DR's perspective, we viewed Take-Two as trying to acquire the Duke Nukem franchise in a 'fire sale'.

"While we cannot comment on the details of the ongoing lawsuit, we believe Take-Two's lawsuit is without merit and merely a bully tactic to obtain ownership of the Duke Nukem franchise," adds 3DR. "We will vigorously defend ourselves against this publisher."

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About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (43) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ChthonicEcho #1 3 years ago

    Oh, fuck off, 3D Realms. DNF is dead, unless another developer picks it up, which is about as likely as the existence of a Mortal Kombat MMO.

    I really want DNF to see the light of day, but 3D Realms trolling the Internet with void promises is nothing short of annoying.

  • Eldritch #2 3 years ago

    $22.5 mil in 12 years then? Not that much after all.

  • neonxaos #3 3 years ago

    Oh please, 3DR... please settle this thing and have someone else finish your game. In spite of all this turmoil, interest has almost never been higher. How about Human Head? They made a pretty decent game out of Prey, after all.

  • systems #4 3 years ago

    I'm not falling for this again. You had me for the first 12 years, but this year the worm has turned!

  • Spekingur #5 3 years ago

    Haha. DNF can also stand for Did Not Finish :D

  • sadakos_fury #6 3 years ago

    Love the link next to this article where you can pre-order DNF. Please allow 28 decades for delivery.

  • penhalion #7 3 years ago

    Quite frankly the Duke franchise needs to be with anyone else except 3DRealms. At the moment I know that Take 2 are trying to wrestle the franchise from them with lawyers and teeth nashing renage claims. This is a very bullying tactic from take 2 but, I find myself hoping in this instance that the bully wins. This way we will see a version of DNF within a few years.

  • BillyBrush #8 3 years ago

    Finish game, sack all staff, wriggle out of publishing deal.....make myself miiiilions!

    I think that's George's thought process.

  • speedjack #9 3 years ago

    I see from the shopto add above that they're still taking pre-orders for this.

    £24.99 ?

    Bargain !

  • Negotiator #10 3 years ago

    12 years are you kidding me, I think HL2 took 6 years, and that was amazing but is still too long to make a game. When you consider most AAA games take 2 to 4 years, 12 years is taking the piss and T2 have every right to take the rights to this game and let a decent developer make a game out of it.

  • spimmy #11 3 years ago

    let it go allready 3D realms its dead

  • curtlikesmeat #12 3 years ago

    Did someone say Mortal Kombbbbbaaaatt MMO?! :p

  • loopy #13 3 years ago

    "$22.5 mil in 12 years then? Not that much after all."

    Especially when you consider that Valve spent over $40 mil in 6 years making Half life 2....

    "Haha. DNF can also stand for Did Not Finish :D"

    Yeah, you're only a few years late with that one. ;)

  • Branoic #14 3 years ago

    I kinda feel sorry for the devs in interviews for other jobs.

    "So, summarize your professional achievements over the past 10 years"

    "Umm...Duke Nukem Forever..."

    "Ok, thanks very much. We'll call you!"

  • Eldritch #15 3 years ago

    Or rather:

    "So, summarize your professional achievements over the past 10 years"

    "Umm...Duke Nukem Forever..."

    "Oh, great, would you mind spilling the beans on that one, we have all the time in the world, you know ... well, not exactly 12 years, you know, but never mind ... if it's a good laugh you may end up cleaning our loo and getting fags for temps."

  • Kafeen #16 3 years ago

    I see from the shopto add above that they're still taking pre-orders for this.

    £24.99 ?

    Bargain !

    Some day far in the future its going to be released and a bunch of people are going to get copies through the door and wonder where the fuck its come from.

  • geeza2020 #17 3 years ago

    Does anyone care anymore?

  • stoopidgreg #18 3 years ago

    quite a difference between $2.5m and $12m, who does their accounts??

  • Pinewood_Groves #19 3 years ago

    Haha... just when you thought the Duke Nukem Forever saga couldn't get more ridiculous...

  • Alkeno #20 3 years ago

    \lets imagination loose

    3DR, please, admit that DNF is well over your posibilites as a developer. Just sell the code and assets to Epic for some bucks and let Cliff B. do his magic...

    Nuke Nuken Forever meets Gears of War could be an instant classic. Duke's humour, Epic's horsepower... :-)

  • Kikizosan #21 3 years ago

    This is all so much of a farce now, I'm starting to forget there were ever other games in this series? Duke Nukem doesn't just exist in all people's imaginations, does he, like Matt Hazzard?

  • FooAtari #22 3 years ago

    3DR, please, admit that DNF is well over your posibilites as a developer. Just sell the code and assets to Epic for some bucks and let Cliff B. do his magic...

    No no no. Just no.

    I think if 3D Realms can't finish the game no one can. I fear anyone else that gets their hands will remove all humor, turn Duke into a generic marine and generally fuck things up.
    Edited by 1 at 19/05/09 @ 12:17

  • makeamazing #23 3 years ago

    continue to license and co-create games based upon the Duke Nukem franchise

    Yes they have done such a great job getting this one to market, i am sure they will make other games based on it just as easily...lol.

    All very dodgy if you ask me, and anyone who has taken 12 years to make a game really isnt making a game are they! I would be interested to know how "many" people they let go... was it just the whole team of 1?

  • rprince #24 3 years ago

    @FooAtari

    I'm glad you said that. I thought the entire world was going mad. Why would anyone want someone else to take on development of DNF. It would just turn out rubbish.

    It sounds like T2 need to send in a producer to help them manage the project and finish it within a timescale!

  • coldiron #25 3 years ago

    "Haha. DNF can also stand for Did Not Finish :D"

    I would say that DNF stands for : 'Dead Now & Forever'
    But then maybe we should just tell 3D Realms to 'Drop the Nonsense, Fools'.

    Anymore anyone?

  • Gao #26 3 years ago

    Edited by 1 at 19/05/09 @ 16:32

  • Pastici #27 3 years ago

    To me it reads as "Duke 3d on iPhone".

  • Tyronne #28 3 years ago

    This really is a farce,one of the funniest game related news stories rumbles on.

  • smelly #29 3 years ago

    I *really* love how gamers get on their high horses and try to tell developers how to make games.

  • makeamazing #30 3 years ago

    Lets be honest if it has taken 12 years, I think gamers have a right to tell them, thats just abysmal or something dodgy going on.

  • smelly #31 3 years ago

    >Lets be honest if it has taken 12 years,

    They've apparently started again at least 3 times. Look at something like mario galaxy.. in dev for around 6 years, with a much bigger team/budget. So who are you to say what should/shouldnt happen? If the game comes out, and it's good.. great.. if it comes out and it sucks - THEN you can complain.

    I've been working on a game now in my spare time for 15 years.. Doesnt mean any game "fan" should talk to me, or any company like this retard:

    >Oh, fuck off, 3D Realms

    I mean.. seriously.. if anyone should fuck off.. it should be the person who posted that...


    >I think gamers have a right to tell them

    Tell them what exactly? That gamers, who are just kids who like to play with toys - know more about the problems of complex game development than they do?
    Edited by 1 at 19/05/09 @ 19:35

  • EmiliasHorse #32 3 years ago

    Way to go Smelly, you really took the fun out of that thread.

    Are you seriously suggesting starting the game from scratch 3 times is any sort of excuse? No it isn't, they were a respected Dev that managed to make a grand total of no games in 12 years. Not good enough.

  • smelly #33 3 years ago

    @Emilia'sHorse: And how many games have YOU made in that time?


    PS: Where's the "fun" in posting hateful, aggressive posts? Sometimes I wonder why gamers on forums are so angry - maybe it's because they play shit games? Or more likely its because they have no lives to get upset about REAL problems...

    Before you start posting aggressive shite.. maybe you should go outside.. maybe try holding hands with a GIRL or something (or boy if thats you're preference).



    Or indeed.. posting stuff without any facts.. like:

    "If 3DR want ownership of the DN franchise, that's fair enough - but what the hell are they going to do with it? They're virtually bust,"

    Now cragtek obviously knows something we dont.. maybe he's seen their bank balance?

    But no.. Gamers read a small part of the story on the internets without all the full information - and straight away take sides and start spouting hate speak..

    Sad really when you think about it.

  • EmiliasHorse #34 3 years ago

    @Smelly

    I do not make games I am a customer who buys games.

    Regards to your PS. Was all that meant for me?

    Edited by 1 at 19/05/09 @ 22:39

  • ArcMonkey #35 3 years ago

    Eh? Take Two's 12 million dollars went to GT Interactive/Infogrames, from whom they bought publishing rights for DNF. And the $2.5 m was for a different project altogether (or so 3DR's statement says). DNF was completely self-funded...

    I remember Brussard turning down something like a 500 000 bonus if they finished the game on a deadline.

    Maybe after spending 20m of their own money on the game, 3DR felt they had every right to tell the publisher to STFU?

  • smelly #36 3 years ago

    >I do not make games I am a customer who buys games.

    Well, that's not good enough... etc etc

    >Regards to your PS. Was all that meant for me?

    Nope.. everyone

  • smelly #37 3 years ago

    "Maybe after spending 20m of their own money on the game, 3DR felt they had every right to tell the publisher to STFU? "

    PLUS ONE in big capital letters.

    Also to note that 20m for a game nowadays is f-all.

    So when people go on about it being in "development for 12 years" - it sounds very much like there wouldve been a tiny handful of people on the team for most of that.

    A "normal" game team size of 40 plus people, you're looking at 3 or 4 million a year before you even factor in office space, electricity, computers, etc.. Most games would burn through 20 million in 2 or 3 years...

  • AHiFi #38 3 years ago

    Smelly - It sounds like you have 'read a small part of the story' too. And it seems if you have picked your side too! In fairness, what most people are saying is...they aimed too high for too long. A lot of the people being negative could be people who stuck by them for years or...they could be trolling. Either way, people lose faith. I don't really know what to think of it all. =/
    Edited by 1 at 20/05/09 @ 05:32

  • smelly #39 3 years ago

    @AHiFi: Im someone who used to make games for a living. Therefor i know more about the process of making a game than most of the clueless shits on forums.

    When I was making games - reading threads like these where the "fans" were slagging off my work before they'd even seen or played it used to make me wonder why i was actually bothering making games for those retards.. eventually i didnt.

  • evilbert #40 3 years ago

    Smell said: "I've been working on a game now in my spare time for 15 years.. Doesnt mean any game "fan" should talk to me, or any company like this retard:

    >Oh, fuck off, 3D Realms "

    So we can't tell anyone to fuck off but you can call us retards and clueless shits? Well done on ruining your own debate. You then go on to wonder why gamers are angry on forums while you seem to be the one with a big chip on your shoulder? Maybe before you start posting aggressive shite.. maybe you should go outside.. maybe try holding hands with a GIRL or something (or boy if thats you're preference), as you recommend yourself...

  • nasanu #41 3 years ago

    @Smelly

    We dont have fuck all information. We know how long it took and how much money it cost. According to you they restated development 3 times. I think it is pretty clear that they have no clue how to deliver a game. It does not matter exactly what went on, they had two chances to correct themselves and still could not manage it.

    You defend them by saying that had a small budget, but a large part of gaming games is planning. Even I know x people can doing y amount of work will take z years. And if z is anywhere near 5 years anyone will know that the tech will be very old by then. These guys were obviously rubbish or maybe just looking the other way and taking no responsibility. Either way no professional dev could make a mess like this.

    FFS if this game were on console the hardware would not even be in production anymore. How can you possibly defend them?

  • smelly #42 3 years ago

    >but you can call us retards and clueless shits?

    yes.. because you are.

  • smelly #43 3 years ago

    >According to you they restated development 3 times.

    I dont know that for a fact..

    >I think it is pretty clear that they have no clue how to deliver a game.

    And we've established that neither do any of you..


    >"You defend them by saying that had a small budget, but a large part of gaming games is planning."

    $20 million over 12 years? I'd say that WAS planning. They obviously just had one or two people trying out ideas for most of that time, then started development with a full team recently - $20m is about 2 years for a full team.
    Edited by 2 at 20/05/09 @ 19:14