Duke Nukem 3D Remake Gets the Green Light From Gearbox

[Andy Chalk]

Duke Nukem 3D Remake Gets the Green Light From Gearbox

Gearbox says Interceptor Entertainment can release its Duke Nukem 3D remake to the public any time it wants to.

Before Interceptor Entertainment got busy on its Rise of the Triad remake (which launches today, by the way) it was hard at work on an update of the classic shooter Duke Nukem 3D. It had a non-commercial license to do so, but work on the project ground to a halt when, according to Interceptor CEO Frederik Schreiber, Gearbox changed its mind about the release. Schreiber said he felt like the studio was being "punished" for making the disastrous Duke Nukem Forever look bad by comparison, but whatever the motivation may have been, Interceptor decided not to waste any further effort on something that would never see the light of day.

But now the situation has grown a little more complicated, because Gearbox says Interceptor is free to release Duke Nukem 3D Reloaded whenever it wants to, and more to the point actually wants to see it happen. "We remain impressed by the passion and talent that the Duke Nukem fans at Interceptor Entertainment showed when developing their fan project, and were disappointed when the team announced their decision to discontinue work on it," Gearbox Vice President Steve Gibson told the Penny Arcade Report. "The non-commercial license we granted them remains intact and we hope to see them release Duke Nukem 3D Reloaded whenever they are ready to do so."

Whether this represents a change of direction at Gearbox or a simple misunderstand at Interceptor, it's good news for shooter fans. Duke Nukem 3D was brilliant by any measure, and an update for modern machines would be more than welcome. Whether or not Interceptor will go back to it remains to be seen, but at least now it appears that the door is wide open.

Source: Penny Arcade Report [http://www.penny-arcade.com/report/article/gearbox-states-fan-made-duke-nukem-reloaded-project-still-cleared-for-non-c]


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[Mark D. Stroyer]

"15 years later..."

 

[Erttheking]

Hm, that's really interesting and really cool of them, bravo Gearbox. I'M almost kind of upset that I'm not a Duke fan, but not TOO much.

 

[josemlopes]

Not bad, I guess. I like Duke Nukem 3D and the fact that Forever wasnt as good doesnt change that but I dont think this is really needed.

Either way it can be a good way for Interceptor Entertainment to practice, Rise of the Triads looks somewhat amateurish.

 

[Zombie_Moogle]

Funny what a little publicity can do for a cancelled game

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

I'd throw some money at this.

I loved Duke Nukem 3D back in the day. I even bought the Nintendo 64 port of it because rather than having half the game removed due to censorship, they added in completely new content instead. It's pretty much the only time I can think of where I bought anything at all because it was censored.

 

[CriticalMiss]

I'd throw some money at this.

You won't be able to, they aren't allowed to sell the game because they have a non-commercial license for it. Which means you get it for free!

And this does look like backtracking on the part of Gearbox, probably because it gave them some bad press.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

I'd throw some money at this.

You won't be able to, they aren't allowed to sell the game because they have a non-commercial license for it. Which means you get it for free!

I'm aware. But I would throw money at this. As in, if they did sell it, I'd still be willing to go for it.

 

[Doom972]

I'd throw some money at this.

You won't be able to, they aren't allowed to sell the game because they have a non-commercial license for it. Which means you get it for free!

And this does look like backtracking on the part of Gearbox, probably because it gave them some bad press.

This makes me wonder at the whole point of it. Why would such a small developer studio invest resources at making a free game? It's very nice of them to do so, but it's understandable if they'd rather make that they can actually sell.

 

[CriticalMiss]

I'd throw some money at this.

You won't be able to, they aren't allowed to sell the game because they have a non-commercial license for it. Which means you get it for free!

And this does look like backtracking on the part of Gearbox, probably because it gave them some bad press.

This makes me wonder at the whole point of it. Why would such a small developer studio invest resources at making a free game? It's very nice of them to do so, but it's understandable if they'd rather make that they can actually sell.

It'd a good way to show people what you are capable of without having to come up with a game from scratch, possibly in the hopes that you will get noticed by the original creators or whoever holds the licenses and they will give you a job. Valve have hired people who made mods of their games in the past, so perhaps these guys were hoping Gearbox might hire them or that someone might see their work and give them a shot?

 

[Triforceformer]

Remember people, this game only got cancelled because Gearbox forced it to stop development for being better than DNF. Don't pat them on the back and tell them good job as if they're being heroes here. Gearbox are lieing through their teeth about saying they always had the right to release it for free, they're just trying to let the game come out with minimal fallout since DNF's critical thrashing is over and all its DLC is done.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Remember people, this game only got cancelled because Gearbox forced it to stop development for being better than DNF. Don't pat them on the back and tell them good job as if they're being heroes here. Gearbox are lieing through their teeth about saying they always had the right to release it for free, they're just trying to let the game come out with minimal fallout since DNF's critical thrashing is over and all its DLC is done.

Pretty much. I'm glad it's coming out, but the damage to Gearbox's reputation is done. Releasing bad games is one thing -- I've played enough great and terrible Bethesda games to know that the brand name matters less than the individual game. Using IP law as a weapon in this manner, however, is a major pet peeve of mine.

 

[piinyouri]

Mmmmmm, we'll have to see if it's better than some of the source ports and fan remakes out already.

 

[Metalrocks]

hmm, lets see. you can get already the DN megaton version on steam that includes all the add ons and has actually some graphical update that makes it look a bit better.