7 Video Games That Survived Development Hell (And How)
4. Duke Nukem Forever
Probably THE most notorious offender on this list, the aptly-titled Duke Nukem Forever released in 2011 after a whopping 15 years in development.
Early promotional information indicated that the game would be released sometime between ’97 and ’98 but that came and went, as did the millennium, and the game was nowhere to be seen. After years of silence, 3D Realms finally piped up in 2001 stating that the game would be released “when it’s done.”
What was going on?
Creator George Broussard’s unwavering perfectionism and obsession with the latest technology meant the game’s development was stop-start at best. After beginning development on the Quake II engine, Broussard’s need for Forever to release with the latest and greatest technology saw the team essentially reboot the project by switching over to the Unreal Engine. And so things continued, with Broussard’s constant need for upgrades consistently halting development from progressing at any real pace.
In May 2009, 3D Realms was in serious financial trouble. Major downsizing led to the loss of the game’s development team, development shut down and many saw this as hasta la vista for Duke. Adding insult to injury, publisher Take-Two Interactive filed a lawsuit against the developer over their “failure to finish development.”
In 2009, Borderlands developer Gearbox were handed the reigns and managed to put the finishing touches on the game. Duke Nukem Forever released on June 10 2011 to a largely negative critical reception. Ouch.