This might not be music to everyone’s ears, considering the rather lukewarm reception Duke Nukem Forever received when it launched back in 2011, but Gearbox president Randy Pitchford says that he would like to work on a new entry alongside an outside developer.
Pitchford was speaking at today’s Develop 2015 conference, and also revealed that Gearbox has been brainstorming concepts for a new game in the venerable series. The studio is apparently too busy to commit fully the the project, so another studio would be needed to help out.
”I did not acquire the franchise merely so people could experience Duke Nukem Forever,” he explained. ”That was, sort of, the toll to pay to give Duke Nukem a chance at a future. So yes. In fact, we’ve done some concept development. The challenge is that Gearbox is very busy. A faster way would be if the correct developer would become interested and we’d work with them.”
According to recent claims from Sega, working with Gearbox can be an… interesting experience, but to be fair I don’t think anyone involved in the Aliens: Colonial Marines fiasco came out looking good. That game was developed by Gearbox alongside TimeGate Studios, and was so inept when it finally came out that it became the subject of a false advertising lawsuit.
We’ll never know the exact truth behind Colonial Marines, but it’s clear that it and Duke Nukem Forever have tarnished Gearbox’s reputation somewhat. I’m still surprised by the way Pitchford sticks up for Forever, actually. He says the game’s hostile reception was due more to its lengthy development time and anticipation level amongst the public, rather than it being a bit rubbish.
”I think that’s it’s a challenging problem,” Pitchford continued, referring to the game’s years in development limbo, ”but there’s no doubt that, when it does happen, the entire industry will turn its head. Getting attention in this industry is one of the hardest things to do. That’s probably one of the biggest problems Forever had - for 10 years it was promised as the greatest game that would ever be made. It was legendary in its vapourware status. So it had a particular pole of attention.”
