12 Video Games You Presumed Were Massive Flops (That Really Weren't)

7. Duke Nukem Forever

Duke Nukem Forever was in production for so long that it ended up being nicknamed "Duke Nukem Taking Forever" by gamers fed up of waiting for a game they assumed would never actually be released. However, our prayers were answered in 2011, when Duke's latest adventure finally arrived amid sizable expectations. The result? The game was merely OK, a buggy mess at times, though surviving partially thanks to the charm of the titular character, even if some of his antics could have used a postmodern twist, given how society has changed since the last proper Duke game. Somewhat aptly, the game felt like taking a trip back to the late 90s, both in terms of content and conceptually: it didn't feel like a new Duke for 2011, but an old Duke with a new lick of paint. With highly mixed reviews, a month after release, Duke's sales were said to be disappointing at only half of what had been hoped for, though this may be a case of the publisher having inflated expectations of Duke's popularity, given how the game was still #2 overall for June's releases (behind L.A. Noire). However, it was announced later that summer that the game would be profitable, and it ended up selling 1.85 million units, which may not justify the countless millions of dollars spent and thousands of hours in development, but then even selling GTA V figures may not have either. Long story short: Duke Nukem Forever is not a particularly good game, but it didn't flop either.