Fan-Made Duke Nukem 3D Remake Gets the OK

Without question, one of my favorite PC games of all time is Duke Nukem 3D. I’ve played through the game numerous times, and even took advantage of multi-player back in the day (remember TEN?). Last year when 3D Realms released the game on the Xbox 360 as an Arcade title, I even bought it and went through the game again. It’s a game that just doesn’t seem to get boring, and how many of those ever come out today?

Well, it looks like we’ll all soon have another reason to go through the game again… thanks to development of “Duke Nukem Next-Gen”, a fan-made title that mimics the original game closely, but with one major difference… it’s being built with UE3 (Unreal Engine). Yes, that’s the same engine that powers such games as BioShock Infinite, Borderlands and Gears of War.

The problem with fan projects such as these, though, is that the companies that hold publishing rights rarely ever seem lenient enough to allow them to take place. Many have been shut down in the past, unfortunately. This story is different, because the lead developer made sure to first get permission, from both 3D Realms and Take-Two, and after sending preview screenshots to George Broussard at 3D Realms, he was in.

So far, the game looks good, very good, and while it’s not set to be released for quite a while (the team is seeking developers), I’m already pretty stoked to see it in final form. Judging by the screenshots and YouTube video so far, the developers are sticking to the original level design precisely, but as a whole, the entire game looks incredibly modern.

The best part for gamers is that in the end, this release will be free. It’s based on UE3, but because it’s used for non-profit reasons, the developers are able to use it without issue. It could be expected that ones there’s an official project site up, there will be an option to donate (if this doesn’t break the license), and by the looks of things, any donations will be well-deserved.

He decided to go through Gearbox first, thinking that would increase his chances at an official blessing. “I contacted AdamF, who passed me through to PJ Putnam, Vice President and General Counsel of Gearbox Software.” Gearbox ultimately decided to support the project, and gave Schreiber a personal, non-commercial license to Duke Nukem 3D. He can’t sell the work or profit from it directly, but he can use the characters and design of the game without fear of being shut down.