Has Gearbox Software Taken Over Duke Nukem Forever Development?

As hard as it may be to believe, it’s been well over a year since 3D Realms posted that it’d be shuttering. Since then, a lot has happened, including the realization that it hasn’t shuttered, but rather that it is running with a skeleton crew. But, with that skeleton crew, it meant that continued Duke Nukem Forever development was essentially up in the air.

The problem with DNF is that things were changed during the development cycle too many times, and that ended up catching up to the company. But as it stands, the game has got to have at least the majority portion complete, so to see the code sit around gathering dust is a ridiculous thought. So, which company is going to pick up the slack? If rumors prove true, it’s Gearbox Software.

Gearbox Software, also a Texan company, is known for porting numerous games from the PC to consoles, such as select titles from the original Half-Life series, and even a Tony Hawk’s title, but it has recently become best-known for its cel-shaded shooter Borderlands. With its 3D shooter experience, it does seem that DNF could be in good hands.

This same rumor also states that we’ll even be seeing a playable demo of the game later this year. That’s right… as in sometime within the next five months. If true, that’s going to be some heck of a demo launch, and I’m sure one that has the potential to set some sort of record. Well, at least if there’s a record for “Longest game in development to finally have a demo”.

Duke Nukem Forever, according to sources who wished to remain anonymous, is now in the hands of Gearbox and is planned to be released under the studio’s name. Gearbox was outed as the developer of the apparently scrapped Duke Nukem spin-off Duke Begins earlier this year. Take-Two Interactive still maintains publishing rights to the title, which the company confirmed to Kotaku tonight. (A company spokesperson declined to comment about the status of the Duke Nukem Forever project and whether it is in the works at Gearbox.)