10 Video Games Stuck In Development The Longest
5. Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem was a series going strong in 1996 following the release of its third major entry, Duke Nukem 3D. The title delivered the brash and unapologetically 'manly-man' approach to the 3D gaming space and, whilst it garnered some hefty criticism from its detractors, helped put the first-person shooter subgenre on the map.
The game's influence and strong sales of around 3.5 million units meant that a sequel was always on the cards, however it would take over fifteen years for Duke Nukem Forever to finally land.
With 3D Realms once again taking the lead for development, though it would take eight years for the first snippet of content to be revealed to the public. The company was then downsized, leading to 2K Games acquiring the rights and Gearbox Software taking over development. Interestingly enough, a version of Forever from 2001 when 3D Realms still had control of the project was leaked in 2022.
Duke Nukem Forever finally released in the summer of 2011, though most agree this probably wasn't worth the wait. The poster child of games that actually managed to get a release, Nukem Forever felt like a game that was still in the '90s with its clunky controls, poor graphics and abundance of crude humour.