3D Realms website suddenly ironic following studio's closure

Duke Nukem Forever was 12+ years in the making, but developer 3D Realms shut down yesterday. Now its website makes for darkly humorous reading.

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

Scott Miller speaks out on Duke Nukem Forever's delays


3D Realms website suddenly ironic following studio's closure

Why did 3D Realms close? Well, there are a few theories...

To some fans, 3D Realms' closure yesterday came as a surprise. After spending nearly 13 years planning and producing Duke Nukem Forever, the full-3D follow-up to 1996's seminal shooter Duke Nukem 3D, 3D Realms abruptly shut down.

The reason behind 3D Realms' closure isn't entirely clear, but it ultimately came down to funding. With the economy in tatters and investor capital scarce, 3D Realms simply ran out of cash to pay its employees. But why did 3D Realms really close down? Why did the studio and its quixotic co-founders George Broussard and Scott Miller spend 12 years creating endless revisions of a game that now may never be released?

One look at the 3D Realms website offers some compelling arguments. Certain passages -- most written some ten years ago -- take on a darkly ironic context in light of Duke Nukem Forever's epic dev cycle and 3D Realms' recent closure.

From a hiring page on the 3D Realms site (I bolded phrases that I found ironic or morbidly humorous):

Apogee and 3D Realms are die hard game players who make games without marketing pressure, corporate management, or arbitrary release dates. We make games we want to play, and we work on them until they are perfected and done. We are hard working, hard playing, highly motivated developers with a mission to succeed at all costs. We hire only the industry's cream-of-the-crop talent--and if you've got the talent, you can join us.

...(omitted for length)...

In summary, here's what you get when you work for Apogee/3D Realms that you probably won't get working at another developer/publisher:

1. A royalty-style bonus that's a percentage of the games you help create, along with ALL related derivative products, including ports.

2. Real creative influence on your game project.

3. Freedom from arbitrary completion date pressures, which allows the game to be made on its schedule, and not some suit's schedule.

If that's not enough for you, refer to the web page that outlines the studio's development philosophy and quotes 3D Realms co-founder George Broussard (again, I've bolded the ironic parts):

"Developers Rule at 3D Realms"

Most game projects are controlled by someone in management who is not a developer, and doesn't hold development priorities above financial and business considerations.

But not at 3D Realms Entertainment.

3D Realms, a division of Apogee Software, Ltd., is owned and managed by developers with a lengthy track record of successes and innovations. "Design is all that matters here," says George Broussard, head of 3D Realms. "We don't even make game budgets. Never have, never will. They're not important to us because we just won't release a game until it's done to our high standards, regardless of the extra money it will cost us."

Continues Broussard: "Look at most publishers and development houses--is the top guy a developer or a bean counter without any development experience? I've noticed that business and financial types ride the lead wagon at most game companies, which to me explains a lot of this industry's problems with shoddy game releases."

Apogee's head, Scott Miller, agrees, "Game development is not an endeavor that can be finished within arbitrary financial quarters. It requires ongoing research, testing, polishing and even tossing away of work and ideas that don't work after being implemented. Because of game development's inherent unpredictability, we never attach a release date to our games until we're within a few days of launching, and even then we won't hesitate to miss the date if it means improving the gameplay."

...(omitted for length)...

Broussard adds: "In the end it all means we're a very developer and development oriented company. I think we're one of the best places a developer would want to work, and the structure we develop games under--ignoring arbitrary business and financial issues--is conducive to us making many more hits in the future." Read the full posting.

Our thoughts are with the employees who were affected by the closure of 3D Realms: best wishes for a speedy recovery.

3D Realms website suddenly ironic following studio's closure

The 3D Realms team takes a final group photo.

THE VERDICT by Sid Shuman Sid Shuman's Avatar

As an enormous fan of Duke Nukem 3D, I was always looking forward to seeing what 3D Realms would eventually do with Duke Nukem Forever. I'm hoping the game will see the light of day...eventually.

Comments [22]

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MasterOtogi

We hire only the industry's cream-of-the-crop talent--and if you've got the talent, you can join us. I think we're one of the best places a developer would want to work, and the structure we develop games under--ignoring arbitrary business and financial issues--is conducive to us making many more hits in the future

Sounds to me like you could sum it up that they were arrogant & overly ambitious for thier skill level. Over a decade of developement & no game is the proof.

I just hope id or raven software gets the Duke franchies.
They both have great proven records & the business sense to know what can be done.

AntiAmericanArmy

Seems to me that no one is safe from losing a job... Would it be the end of the world if we started to see Wal-Mart's closing down? That would be sad because Wal-Mart is saving people A LOT of money! I'm being sarcastic of corse!

ObsessedKiller

Ahhh shit! Well I enjoyed them and all but I really think it be the lack of management and budget shit. But then again, they be been around fo liek 22 yrs???? Korse they had got a budget but when it cums to ol Dukey they were as uncontrollable as an orgasm

Coconuts

Over emphasis on not having any Corporate control or concrete Game Deadlines sort of says it all. 3D Realms procrastinated on the production of Duke Nukem Forever until they couldn't release it. Sometimes the best video games can take an extremely long time in development but if you're never able to release it than what's the point?

Coconuts

Also Maybe if the developers settled on a workable design for Duke Nukem Forever. Even if it wasn't super ground breaking 5 years ago and made some money. They probably wouldn't be going out of business now.

Terran499

They should just release what they had up to now on their website for the fans as a free dl.

ultrazilla2000

The REAL reason they failed? Look at the picture...TOTAL SAUSAGE FEST!!! Without a few ladies to keep them in check, those guys probably just sat around playing their favorite games and not working on the new one! ;)

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