There may be hope yet for the ludicrously long-in-the-making Duke Nukem Forever. Sources claiming to have knowledge of the situation tell Kotaku that Duke Nukem Forever development continues at a new home, Borderlands developer Gearbox Software.
The studio responsible for Brothers In Arms, Borderlands and Aliens: Colonial Marines is said to have picked up Duke Nukem Forever development where former studio 3D Realms left off, perhaps Duke's best bet for eventual completion.
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.)
One source indicated that a playable demo of Duke Nukem Forever will be available later this year.
The development of Duke Nukem Forever has been in limbo since 3D Realms' demise in 2009. Publisher Take-Two later sued 3D Realms for its failure to deliver Duke Nukem Forever in a reasonable time frame. The two parties settled their differences in May of 2010 under unspecified terms.
Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford declined to comment to Kotaku on the matter, indicating that he may be able to better clarify the situation further at this year's Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle.
3D Realms founder George Broussard, the man infamously in charge of Duke Nukem Forever, did not respond to requests for comment.
Given the nature of Duke Nukem Forever's long and storied history, we're filing this under rumor for now, but we'll be keeping a close eye on PAX-related developments for further details.
The author of this post can be contacted at mike@kotaku.com