Duke Nukem Forever was first announced as a sequel to the hit game franchise in 1997.  Yes … you read that right, 1997, as in 13 years ago.  Ever since then the game has been in development.  Never "canceled", never just put out of its misery, just bounced around from game developer to game developer, always retaining the same title.  I highly doubt that whatever is in the game now even remotely resembles what was first envisioned, but hey, when it finally comes out they can slap a sticker on it that says "Decades in the Making!" and not be lying.

duke nukem foreverThe history of Duke Nukem Forever reads like a political thriller with intrigue, financial shenanigans and at this point it has become like some mythical beast that hangs over the gaming industry, talked about in hush tones.  It has become a joke in the gaming world, but yet it just keeps popping up.  The latest bit of info comes from Kotaku that claims the game has once again switched developers and is now at Gearbox Studios, the company behind the popular Borderlands game.

If I was the head of a studio, I'm not sure I'd want the "honor" of working on this game because it is obviously cursed.

The whole thing is just silly at this point.  Take-Two Interactive still owns the publishing rights and ended up suing 3D Realms for having not delivered the game in a timely fashion after the company went out of business.  During all that hoopla, Gearbox actually had to stop work on another Duke Nukem game named Duke Begins because there were legal questions surrounding it.

Some sources are claiming a playable demo will be ready by the end of this year, but as someone who has been around since this whole debacle started, I am definitely filing that under, "I'll believe it once I'm playing it."  Honestly, does this game even matter any more?  I think I'd almost feel like a rubber necker at a train wreck at this point to even play the game.  I don't care about the character any more, I've moved on to so many other franchises that just isn't relevant to me any more.  And the current generation of gamers, well, do they even know who this character is?  Maybe.

I hate to say it, but I can never pass up a piece of Duke Nukem Forever news because it's like watching a bad soap opera; you're just hooked.

What say you?  Do you care about Duke Nukem Forever?