Duke Nukem Forever studio 3D Realms closing down

Duke Nukem Forever developer 3D Realms has been shut down due to a lack of funding, according to a "very reliable source" close to the studio.

FLASHBACK: 3D Realms on Duke Nukem Forever: "We Just Want to Finish It"

Scott Miller speaks out on Duke Nukem Forever's delays


Duke Nukem Forever studio 3D Realms has shut down

Click here to see screens of Duke Nukem Forever -- they're a collector's item now!

According to the staff of Shacknews, a news site with deep connections in the Texas-based game development scene, Duke Nukem developer 3D Realms is no more.

The exact cause of 3D Realms's closure is not entirely clear. Shacknews's article only describes "funding issues." GamePro also received the following press release from Deep Silver and Apogee Software:

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

Chiefly notable for their work on the ground-breaking first-person shooter Duke Nukem 3D, the studio has spent over 12 years preparing its follow-up Duke Nukem Forever for release. The only problem: Duke Nukem Forever never came out.

After years of teaser images, leaked gameplay footage, re-shuffled development teams, and missed deadlines, this development will come as a bitter pill to the fans and supporters of the Garland, Texas-based development house, who described the game's release date as simply "when it's done."

Rather than finish work on Duke Nukem Forever, 3D Realms instead developed (and later sold) the Max Payne franchise. They also sold the rights to Prey, a game originally under internal development, to publisher 2K Games. Most recently, 3D Realms ported its classic Duke Nukem 3D to Xbox Live Arcade, complete with online multiplayer.

"First, we fully admit we screwed up the development of DNF, and it's now an industry joke. I laugh (and cry) when I think about it, too. Our fault is that we set the bar too high, and we tried too hard to make the game to beat all games." -- Scott Miller, owner/partner 3D Realms

There is no confirmation of the studio's closure on the official 3D Realms website. But the user forums are currently overloaded, with patient fans now expressing their frustration over the news.

We'll have more details and confirmation as it develops.

THE VERDICT by Sid Shuman Sid Shuman's Avatar

Is the Duke dead? I hope not; Duke Nukem 3D formed most of my teenage years. I've held out hope for a proper sequel for all this time. If 3D Realms really is dead and gone, it's a sad ending to the most troubled game development process of all time. I hope the source is wrong, but I suspect it's accurate.

Comments [33]

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wutisupmon

Sid doesn't it say in this article that the "Development of the Duke Nukem Trilogy is continuing as planned"? But this is sad news. The original Duke Nukem 3D was one hell of a game. RIP 3D Realms.

Fat_bot

So will some other studio buy the stuff that's actually completed on Duke Nukem Forever and continue not releasing it?

Swarley92

I never got to play Duke Nukem and I was hoping Duke Nukem Forever would be my first chance. This is bad news.

KarlB

If I not mistaking. Is 3D realms making Alaen Wake. if so. Then MICROSOFT have a new IP. And they will buy it. And does well. It will be another title that will kick any game out on PS3.

MasterOtogi

Man that sucks. 8/
I've often thought & at times mentioned they should've sold the game rights off to a developer who had the skill to pull it off like id or Raven software.

At least they sold Duke out enough to have a few bad 3rd person games made.
I guess this pushes Diakatana into the position as the 2nd biggest joke in the history of the FPS genre.

ViciousSid

Definitely a sad day. I really wanted to see how it turned out -- Duke 3D was one of my all-time faves.

ZanonX

somone is bound to get the duke, though they better do him justice, no bullshit make overs.

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