Duke Nukem Forever a year away

Naysayers favourite Duke Nukem Forever is still some way off according to Take-Two CEO Jeffrey Lapin, who told a conference call of analysts and investors last month that developer 3D Realms could finish it at the end of 2004 or even at the beginning of 2005.

"I had a recent conversation with the developer," Lapin revealed when pressed by an analyst, "and they expect the game to be completed sometime at the end of '04 or the beginning of '05." Or "When it's done," as the developer has repeatedly stated.

Needless to say, this is hardly the first delay for Duke Nukem Forever, which was originally announced in 1997 and has appeared at various trade events, but with the game now entirely self-funded by developer 3D Realms, which still owns the franchise, Take-Two hasn't much option other than to sit and wait for its reported $12 million investment in publishing rights to bear fruit.

Indeed, 3D Realms head George Broussard wishes they would sit quietly, responding to comments from Lapin last May by telling a Shacknews.com comment thread that "Take-Two needs to STFU IMO." And we hardly need to translate that.