The saga of Duke Nukem Forever is a long one, more than 14 years now. The original first-person shooter Duke Nukem 3D came out in 1996, a filthy, profanity-laced work that fits comfortably into the exploitation genre, perhaps the first such example in the young entertainment medium. It was predictably a hit, and fans wanted more. They never got it though. 3D Realms, the game’s original developer worked on a sequel, Duke Nukem Forever, for more than 10 years before repeated delays and eventually legal action from publisher Take-Two Interactive saw the reins handed over to Gearbox Software. After all seemed lost — including a formal cancellation — suddenly Duke was very much back in the mix.
After countless rumors and speculation, Gearbox and Take-Two finally confirmed the coming of Forever last September. The game is set for release on March 3, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows platforms. It actually exists and people have played it. Fans have Gearbox to thank. The developer also has a few people to thank, given that the game came its way only after more than a decade of work had been done on it. In a rather classy move, Gearbox has launched a website where anyone who participated in the development of Duke Nukem Forever in any way can sign up to have their work acknowledged.
A note on the site reads (in part): “If you have at some point been involved with Duke Nukem Forever and would like to be considered for having an acknowledgment in the game, please let us know who you are and how you are associated with the game.” A simple sign-up process follows, asking people to identify their role in relation to the game (developer, press, community member, etc), rate their own impact on the game then and now, and provide some basic contact information. There’s no guarantee that you’ll be credited — presumably Gearbox will vet each applicant — but much respect to the developer for even offering people the option.
