Gearbox Boss Says Duke Nukem Delay Was "Unavoidable"

[Andy Chalk]

Gearbox Boss Says Duke Nukem Delay Was "Unavoidable"

Gearbox president Randy Pitchford says the Duke Nukem Forever [http://www.amazon.com/Duke-Nukem-Forever-Pc/dp/B002I0JAJ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301074123&sr=8-1] delay wasn't planned and isn't a joke, and is in fact "very difficult and expensive" for the studio.

When I found out yesterday that Duke Nukem Forever had been pushed back into summer [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108712-Gearbox-Delays-Duke-Nukem-Forever-Until-Summer], I thought it was the greatest thing ever, not because I'm some kind of jerk but because it was just so deliciously perfect. Okay, maybe I am kind of a jerk, but you have to admit that after 14 years "in development" and countless delays and excuses, it's pretty damn funny. Unless you're Randy Pitchford, that is.

"Delay was NOT planned," he wrote on Twitter [http://twitter.com/duvalmagic]. "Very difficult and expensive for us, but the right thing for fans."

"Delay was unavoidable, even though we tried," he added. "I'm sorry."

So what's left to do after almost a decade and a half in the pipe? "The delay is because of time to finish some things that our predictions were wrong about. Lots of unrevealed details, still," Pitchford wrote. "It's finishing and polish - some of our predictions about task completion and difficulty were inaccurate."

He also noted that the delay did not arise from complaints about the "ass smacking" in the game's "Capture the Babe" multiplayer mode [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/108617-Duke-Nukem-Forever-Multiplayer-Exchanges-Flags-for-Babes]. "Nothing is getting cut because of the delay," he wrote. "Some things are getting better, though."

Gearbox has plans for post-release DLC and will possibly put out some mod tools as well, he said, while information about the status of the demo will be released as soon as possible, hopefully before May. Duke Nukem Forever is now scheduled to come out sometime in mid-summer, barring further unforeseen-yet-perversely-awesome delays, for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.


Permalink

 

[josemlopes]

Well, it happens

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

You wouldn't accuse Duke of coming prematurely, would you?

[sub]I'm so sorry[/sub]

 

[The Hungry Samurai]

They delay may have been unplanned, but that still doesn't make it any less hilarious. I'm sorry it was expensive for them but I doubt it'll cost em much in sales at least. Good job to Gearbox for not releasing an unfinished product.

 

[Blind Sight]

Well I'm calling it, the game has a voodoo curse on it.

 

[Booze Zombie]

You wouldn't accuse Duke of coming prematurely, would you?

[sub]I'm so sorry[/sub]

That feeling on your head right now? That's me punching you through the internet.

 

[Hungry Donner]

*gives Gearbox a pat on the tush*

 

[mjc0961]

This is why you should just keep your release date to yourself until the game goes gold.

Yes, you'll still be disappointed that you didn't make your intended mark for having the game finished and our the door. But you won't have to stand up and apologize to legions of disappointed fans on top of that if you don't toss out release dates when you aren't 100% sure you can make them.

 

[yourbeliefs]

At least a delay of "polish" is better than their previous delays of "New Levels," "Converting to a new gaming engine," "search for additional funding", etc etc.

 

[therandombear]

Good and all that they pushed it back a month to polish and fix things....but whem am I getting Duke Nukem demo? D:

 

[Thaluikhain]

Oh, please please please make this game by put on hold for another 14 years.

What's the point of DNF if it actually gets made? People will simply play and forget about it...but if it stays in a perpetual state of going to be made, it will last forever.

 

[Stammer]

Meh, I'm happier that they're delaying the game than releasing a half-assed version of it with tons of bugs and problems. An extra month of development is a whole lot of polish. Let's hope it's worth it!

 

[wooty]

Unavoidable? Thats a pretty strange way of spelling inevitable, must be one of the english-english/american-english things

 

[Lacsapix]

as long as i can play "capture the babe" and slap the flag....
I am still happy.
besides we got used to it!

 

[maantren]

I wonder if George Broussard still has a role in development, or - worse - if he actually has to sign off on the final product. He seems to have added 8+ years to DNF all by himself so far...

Cheers

Colin

 

[kickyourass]

Really, REALLY! Holy fucking god, this game has some kind of curse oon it or something, I think it is clear that the universe does not want this game to ever see the light of day, I say leave it where it is, and move on.

 

[thiosk]

Oh, please please please make this game by put on hold for another 14 years.

What's the point of DNF if it actually gets made? People will simply play and forget about it...but if it stays in a perpetual state of going to be made, it will last forever.

There is truth to this.

I do not expect for forget the game quickly though.
As I understand it, the duke has an ego meter instead of health.

Its perfect.

 

[tautologico]

Predicting task completion times in software engineering is very hard. And you often get it wrong. That's why the good studios have a policy to release "when it's done".