3D Realms shuts down News • News • Eurogamer.net

News PC Xbox 360 PlayStation 3

Take-Two retains Duke Nukem Forever IP.

3D Realms has closed because of insufficient funding, placing the future of Duke Nukem Forever once more in doubt.

"It's not a marketing thing. It's true," confirmed 3D Realms webmaster Joe Siegler on the official forum - a post since removed, but saved by ShackNews.

Take-Two will retain the rights to Duke Nukem Forever but never agreed to fund development, which has presumably ground to a halt. The publisher offered Eurogamer no further comment this morning.

"We can confirm that our relationship with 3D Realms for Duke Nukem Forever was a publishing arrangement, which did not include ongoing funds for development of the title," said Take-Two's mouthpiece Alan Lewis.

"In addition, Take-Two continues to retain the publishing rights to Duke Nukem Forever."

None of this, we're told in a statement by Apogee Software and Deep Silver, will affect the Duke Nukem Trilogy for PSP and DS.

"Deep Silver and Apogee Software are not affected by the situation at 3D Realms. Development on the Duke Nukem Trilogy is continuing as planned," explain the companies.

Duke Nukem Forever, a sequel to Duke Nukem 3D, was first announced in 1997. The game appeared to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel after 3D Realms co-founder George Broussard revealed the project had surged past another milestone last month.

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.

Comments (49) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

Order
- Oldest
- Newest
- Best
- Worst
Score
- -25
- -10
- -1
- 0
- +1
- +10
- +25

siro #1 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
From an elite developer to the worst ever, incapabable of producing a game in what? 14 years?
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Xerx3s #2 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Such a shame.:/
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Xerx3s #3 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
"From an elite developer to the worst ever, incapabable of producing a game in what? 14 years?"

You are quite mistaken, they have released many games.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Kazzahdrane #4 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Indeed, they haven't actually developed and released a game in a very very long time.

Shame though, I was planning to buy this day one just for the novelty factor!
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
AgentCool #5 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
That'll surely add around 58 years to the dev time.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
stoopidgreg #6 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
wow, did not see this coming at all. i can't imagine DNF will be released now. that's crazy after being strung along all this time.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
TheBiGW #7 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Presumably if they do find funding from somewhere to finish the game this will give them another opportunity to switch engines again... Here's to another 5 years of development.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
PearOfAnguish #8 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
If T2 has the rights I wouldn't be surprised to see DNF next year. Because it's been languishing for so long they may just rush it out the door to cash in.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Eraysor #9 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I'm sure it'll get picked up and released if it really has accelerated in development. It's too large an IP to just abandon.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
TheTingler #10 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
While I was looking forward to the game (if it ever turned up), it's 3D Realms' own f***ing fault. This should've been finished years ago, there is no good reason for it to take so long.

How did they actually get funding at all?
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Freek #11 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Obviously a shitty situation for the people whos jobs are now in danger.
But the situation as a whole is one big ongoing joke !

Edited by 2 at 07/05/09 @ 09:18
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
MrWonderstuff #12 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I reckon it would be handed over to another development team depending on its current state.

Sad to see peoples jobs go (especially in this climate) but is anyone really that surprised?
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
chicknstu #13 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
They took longer to die than Yoda
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
andywilkie35 #14 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I hope this game still gets released. Not because I want to play it, but I want to read the reviews ripping it to shit and then seeing people react like they did in the Darkfall review (which is a great read if anyone hasn't seen it yet (clearly you all have, its fucking tragic))
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
systems #15 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I remember being quite excited about this back when I had a Voodoo 2 card and Quake 2 came out. Then Unreal. Then Half Life. Seems a very long time ago now.

So that's it then. "When it's done" will never happen. Better wait for Serious Sam 3.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Evolution #16 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
The only really possible conclusion to this tale.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
byron_hinson #17 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Surprised it has taken this long for them to go under - going 12 years without releasing a game they should have probably shut up shop 5 years ago instead of becoming just a running joke. I feel sorry for some of them losing their jobs - but if i didn't produce anything from my job and company in 12 years I'd expect to be sacked and the place closed!
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
byron_hinson #18 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
@Andy - I think the Darkfall reaction was mostly due to be it being an actually poor fake review. Though it did go a bit over the top
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
jmg123 #19 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I can officially reveal that Duke Nukem For Never will be almost realeased on the Unreal 9 engine, but due to a reshuffeling of dev teams , it won't make it to the shops, instead a new team will pick it up, wait for a year before the cryengine 6 is released, where upon the entire game will be rewritten with new gfx, levels and a completely different story taking 6 years before just to trip everyone up, it will accidentally be released into the shops in 2034.

Edited by 1 at 07/05/09 @ 09:38
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
NegativeZero #20 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Sad to say, but it's probably more likely to actually get released now that it's not being worked on by 3D Realms. 2K wouldn't let any of their own studios away with that sort of stupidity.

Let's get some amusing rumours started. Maybe this has been on the cards for a while? Maybe it's actually the super-secret game that Ken Levine is working on that's supposed to be resurrecting an old IP?
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
roz123 #21 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Hopefully someone now will get round to making the fucking game
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
EmiliasHorse #22 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I would wager Duke has been made several times on several engines and all were pump!

Elite dev or luck? I would like to know how 3d Realms managed to produce so little in so much time.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
MeBrains #23 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
12 years since this was announced?! O_o

damn. I am getting old quicker than I thought.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
TiTaniXNEz #24 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
/DNCASHMAN
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
penhalion #25 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
No sympathy here I'm afraid. The game was vapourware for a very long time. In the industry it has become a running joke and even I have reffered to projects I've worked on as a DNF project (meaning you sit there getting paid for doing nothing!).

I have no idea how they survived this long. The most likely scenario is that the publisher looked at their books and realised that they were funding vapourware so pulled the plug.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
metalangel #26 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Owned! 3D Realms were a remnant of a time long passed. I have a PC Gamer from 1997 showing screen shots of Puke Dukem Forever in the Quake 2 engine. In the time since then, the entire GTA series has risen from nothing to take over the world. DNF = DID NOT FINISH.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Kami #27 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Best. Vaporware. EVER!
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Darren #28 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Duke Nukem Forever is a complete joke. I mean how the hell does it take the best part of ten years to code a game anyway? I'll laugh out loud if it eventually comes out and is just five hours long! Well actually I'll laugh now because at the moment it's even shorter than that at zero hours! Mwahahahaha!
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Jontacular #29 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
"It's time to kick ass and get funding... and I'm all out of funding."
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
- Edit
- Delete
- Ignore
mexalen #30 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I lol'ed ..no seriously, I laughed out loud, because that's just to funny. Varporware FTW!
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Spekingur #31 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I had completely forgotten about this game. Someone mentioned Serious Sam 3. Hell yes.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
space_ace #32 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
damn.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
YourMessageHere #33 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
/watches FMV cutscene of a musclebound avatar of TakeTwo ripping off George Broussard's head and shitting down his neck while reading the FT and whistling "Another One Bites the Dust".
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Gearskin #34 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
It's a shame to see them shut down, job loss is never fun.

But I guess this is what happens when you can't deliver.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
photoboy #35 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Bugger, I still want a sequel to Duke Nukem 3D.... It's their own fault for dumping their engine every few years when something more impressive came out.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
the_mtfr #36 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
DNF was not vapourware, trolls. One year ago there was an interview at 3DR and they showed the game being played for almost a minute. I saw it with my own eyes

Here it is you trolls
[link url=http://ww w.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/53010
]http://ww w.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/53...[/link]

Edited by 2 at 07/05/09 @ 12:34
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
makeamazing #37 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Well saw this one coming ages ago.. I think one of my posts in another 3D realms post from a few months ago said they were going to go under... how anyone can be surprised by this.. amazes me.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Ranger101 #38 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
RIP :*(
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
dirtysteve #39 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
No wonder they conveniently hit a 'milestone', to little, too late to attract funding. Who in their right mind would agree to fund this game after 12 years of failure?
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
drumbaby #40 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Shame, I was looking forward to a PSN demo of DNF this year.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Gnort #41 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I have a feeling that the "milestone" that they surged past a while back was them running out of funds.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Tyronne #42 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I have to be honest, I find this a very fitting end and very very comical.

NO GAME SHOULD TAKE 13 YEARS TO CREATE!

I know its in caps but I have been following this (like a good many others) since the beginning and the constant drip drip drip of info like some form of software water torture has finally backfired.

Why do I get the feeling that this will be passed onto another developer and released within 18 months?

Thought I would go over to their site to see the shit storm and lo and behold its no longer there

RIP 3drealms.com

Edited by 1 at 07/05/09 @ 14:41
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
loopy #43 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
http://ga mingisstupid.com/2009/05/06/the...
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
AdamVGR #44 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
So I take it that the sequel to Prey will never emerge...
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
LowEnergyCycle #45 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
@loopy

So... Is that story actually true?
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
smelly #46 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
@Coin-Op: "This studio and this game deserve to be nuked from the universe, talk about taking the piss."

I've never said this on the internet before. But you are a complete and utter fucking prick.
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
Lamb #47 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
NOOOO!!! Just kidding.

(Thats for a new Duke game never being released.)

Edited by 1 at 07/05/09 @ 20:27
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
loopy #48 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
"@loopy

So... Is that story actually true?"

No idea, to be honest, I found the link at another site:

[link url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=21 4448
]http://ww w.computerandvideogames.com/art...[/link]

Interesting read though don't you think?

[edit] It may be true:

http://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Wie...

Edited by 3 at 07/05/09 @ 21:52
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +
AHiFi #49 3 years ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Nobody can defend this...nobody. They've deserved this for a long time. Look at the development time for Prey...and the result (I quite like Prey, but come on...).
- Log in or register to reply
- 0 - +