The Development of Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem Forever was officially cancelled by 3rd party developer Gearbox Software on October 20th, 2013. The game was initially in development by 3 former employees of Ion Storm Austin (the original studio that created Duke Nukem 3D and Duke Nukem Forever), however the project quickly fell apart and development shifted to Crystal Dynamics.
The primary issue appears to be that Gearbox felt they could not replicate the critical and commercial success of Duke Nukem 3D and Duke Nukem Forever. In a 2009 interview with Gamasutra, Gearbox president Randy Pitchford said “I think people forget that we actually had two games come out – which I thought were both pretty good. They’re very different games, but they were both successful.” However, Pitchford went on to say “Now if you go back and look at our marketing around those two games… there wasn’t a whole lot of effort put into it.” This lacklustre advertising likely impacted sales as much as the deteriorating state of the video game industry throughout 2008-2010 did.
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- The Development of Duke Nukem Forever
- The Issues With the Game
- The Response From the Fans
- The Reactions to the Cancellation
- The Possible Alternatives for Duke Nukem Forever
- Ending word
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The Issues With the Game
Duke Nukem Forever was a highly anticipated game that many fans were looking forward to, but it was cancelled due to development issues. There are a number of reasons why the game was cancelled, but some of the most significant ones include poor design decisions, interference from Gearbox and Unreal Engine 4’s development.
The biggest issue with Duke Nukem Forever is its design. The game was supposed to be an open world action-packed shooter, but it ended up being a far cry from what people were expecting. Many of the levels felt too small and linear, and the overall design wasn’t very impressive. Another big problem with the game is its scripting and AI. Both of these areas were criticised for being subpar, and Duke Nukem Forever didn’t fare much better when it came to player feedback.
The Response From the Fans
When Duke Nukem Forever was first announced, it was met with a mixed response from the fans. Some were excited for the return of the iconic character, while others were skeptical of how well the game would turn out. However, after years of development and multiple delays, many questions still remain about why the game was cancelled.
Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that not everyone was happy with Duke Nukem Forever’s cancellation. But even if it never came out, we’ll always have fond memories of its development process – which just goes to show you can’t always judge a book by its cover!
The Reactions to the Cancellation
Duke Nukem Forever was cancelled after many years of development. However, it wasn’t all bad news for the game. Many fans created mods and ported the game to other platforms.
The Possible Alternatives for Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem Forever was cancelled in early 2013, just three years after its predecessor Duke Nukem 3D was released. Since then there have been many rumors and speculation as to what could have happened. Here are six possible alternatives for the game had it not been cancelled.
1. DC Universe Online – The online game set within the world of DC comics would have featured Duke performing missions for the Justice League, as well as battling supervillains such as Joker, Deathstroke and Lex Luthor.
2. Destiny – Bungie’s popular first-person shooter was rumoured to be in development at Gearbox, who were working on the game alongside 2K Marin on Duke Nukem Forever. This would have seen Duke battle aliens and mutants in a post-apocalyptic Earth.
3. Borderlands 2 & 3 – Gearbox co-founder Randy Pitchford has stated that Borderlands 2 and 3 could never have been released without Duke Nukem Forever being developed simultaneously with them; if it wasn’t cancelled, these two sequels may never have come about at all. In Borderlands 2, players control gunslinger Vault Hunter Marcus “McGrath” Fowle as he travel through a randomly generated world full of bandits, beasts and other dangers looking for treasure; in Borderlands 3, players take on the role of Salvador “The Warrior” Reyes as he leads a mercenary group through an opportunities-filled open world inspired by ancient Mesoamerican culture.
Ending word
Duke Nukem Forever was cancelled due to numerous problems with the development of the game. These issues included protracted development time and an unbalanced budget, which ultimately led to poor quality in the final product. While it is unfortunate that Duke Nukem Forever did not meet expectations, we should all be grateful that we were given a chance to play it at all.
