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Gearbox suing 3D Realms, Interceptor for 'unauthorized' Duke Nukem use
Gearbox Software filed a lawsuit against 3D Realms (3DR) and Interceptor Entertainment, accusing the studios of unauthorized use of the Duke Nukem property and alleging violation of trademarks held by Gearbox. The lawsuit points to 3D Realms' recent reveal of Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction, which features a teaser site with a timer counting down to February 25. "Apparently, after selling its Duke Nukem IP rights to Gearbox in 2010, 3DR sought to privately convince others that the sale never happened," the complaint reads. "The result is the unauthorized development effort that reportedly exists between 3DR and Interceptor." Among the documents filed in the suit is a breach statement issued by Gearbox stating that 3D Realms infringed on Gearbox's intellectual property in addition to a statement signed by 3D Realms CEO Scott Miller and Duke Nukem co-creator George Broussard that acknowledged the infringement. In a statement filed to Joystiq, Gearbox Software said, "As the filing shows, 3DR's wrongdoing is both admitted and unfortunate for everyone who cares about Duke Nukem." 3D Realms filed a lawsuit against Gearbox in June 2013 for alleged unpaid royalties for Duke Nukem Forever, and later issued a public apology and withdrawal of the lawsuit in September 2013. Gearbox took over the development of the game in September 2010 in addition to acquiring the rights to the brand from 3D Realms. [Image: Gearbox Software]
George Broussard goes minimalist in Ludum Dare entry 'The Road'
Industry veteran and outspoken Duke Nukem co-creator George Broussard sets his sights on the indie-focused Ludum Dare competition with The Road, a side-scrolling browser game that reflects on the futility of existence. Ludum Dare is an online game jam held every four months in which indie creators are given 48 hours to create a game based on an assigned prompt. Designed around the theme "minimalism," The Road challenges players to survive endless waves of falling objects and ground hazards in the hopes of living a long, fulfilling life. In an interesting twist, the player's squarish avatar grows into a tall rectangle as it ages, making it more difficult to survive as the game progresses. After each death, players are given a brief (and often morbid) summary of how they made their fate. Broussard challenges players to survive past the age of 20; be warned that you'll likely suffer many deaths before you reach your teenage years. Personally, I made it to age 19 before I died of explosive diarrhea. Harsh.
Layoffs hit Warner Bros. Seattle studios [update: WB confirms]
An unknown number of layoffs are affecting WB Games Seattle staff – the umbrella name "WB Games Seattle" comprises Monolith Productions, Snowblind Studios, and Surreal Software. A source close to the studio confirmed reports to us this afternoon, following statements from 3D Realms founder George Broussard on Twitter, stating, "Another Warner Brothers layoff going on as we speak. In progress now. Shame. Hope people land safely."WB Games Seattle is currently working on Lord of the Rings: Guardians of Middle-earth, and it's unclear if any other projects are currently in production. Layoffs hit the studio last November, and were said to have affected "60ish" people. Warner Bros. didn't respond to request for comment as of publishing.Update: WB issued the following statement, confirming the layoffs: "Due to shifting business imperatives, WB Games Seattle has made staff reductions. The group will continue to remain an integral part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment."
Report: Three SOE studios close, layoffs abound
Following a series of tweets from George Broussard, co-owner of 3D Realms, which indicated that Sony Online Entertainment would be undergoing layoffs and possible studio closures around its five locations today, Kotaku reports that a source "familiar with the matter" has confirmed the closures of SOE's Denver, Seattle and Tucson studios. Additionally, half of the Austin staff has been reportedly laid off, along with a "sizeable" number of workers at SOE's San Diego headquarters. In all, the layoffs are said to affect nearly one-third of SOE's total workforce. Notably, SOE Seattle has been the lead development studio of The Agency, which had been slated to launch in the second half of the year (after a long delay). Neither SOE Denver nor Tucson has been working on anything as high profile as The Agency, though both have continued to operate a number of SOE titles, including Denver's Legends Of Norrath and other digital card games, and Tucson's PoxNora strategy game.U Update: SOE has issued an official statement confirming the report and providing further details.
Rumor: SOE to close The Agency studio
Rumors have been flying since yesterday afternoon that it's the end of the line for The Agency's studio. George Broussard, one of the minds behind the Duke Nukem games, made several announcements on Twitter last night that the studio will be closing today: Word that Sony Online Entertainment Seattle is having layoffs and that studio closure is possible. To be more clear, the layoffs may be SOE wide and not just limited to Seattle. So, Austin, San Diego, etc... SOE Seattle and other studios (Denver is rumored) will be closed tomorrow. Good luck to all impacted. In addition, Kotaku is reporting that these layoffs could affect nearly one-third of SOE's total staff. Sony Online Entertainment has not released any statement or announcement to confirm this, so it's uncertain whether Broussard has inside information or is merely getting a jump on April Fool's Day. We'll be watching for official word back from SOE, so keep your eye on Massively for more.
Duke Nukem Forever interview: An end in sight
Duke Nukem Forever might actually be completed and released -- but like most everyone, I won't be convinced until the final product is in my hands. During a recent press event, I played through the same demo we saw at PAX and spoke with 2K Games senior producer Melissa Miller, who did her best to reassure me that the game might actually, maybe, seriously come out. "It's really amazing when you think about it, because these guys -- along with everybody else -- thought Duke Nukem was dead," Miller recalled of one of the current developers, Triptych Games, which was founded by nine ex-members of 3D Realms. "And they were a group that just said, 'No, we're not gonna let this stop.'"
Rumor: Duke Nukem Forever being completed by Gearbox
According to unnamed sources speaking with Kotaku and "claiming to have knowledge of the situation," development on Duke Nukem Forever is continuing -- until completion -- with Borderlands developer Gearbox Software. Stranger still, the sources also claim that a "playable demo" will be distributed at some point "later this year." While Take-Two confirmed that it retains the rights to DNF, it didn't offer any comment on the matter. Gearbox head Randy Pitchford couldn't say anything either, but did note that he might be able to "better clarify the situation" at this year's PAX Prime. Duke Nukem creator George Broussard declined to comment as well. Although this is most certainly a "rumor" for now, we'd still like to wish Gearbox the best of luck over the next 15 years.
3D Realms reaches finite milestone (no, Duke isn't done)
3D Realms' George Broussard has tweeted that the company is closing out a milestone, claiming that the gang is down to 71 tasks out of "probably 800-900." The Escapist presumes he's talking about Duke Nukem Forever and also notes that it's not the only milestone the game is close to reaching: at the end of April, it'll have been 12 years since the Forever was first announced. Remember we celebrated its 10th un-birthday, um, like two years ago?We were obviously puzzled with Broussard's tweet and contacted the developer for clarification, to which a 3D Realms representative replied, "Sorry, but all I can say is, 'When it's done.'" Sheesh. Hopefully, the last thing on that list of 800-900 things is "Done Duke Nukem ... forever!"[Via Escapist; ClanBase]
Duke Nukem Forever screenshot: prepare to squint
It's very small, you see. Spotted in a Gamasutra job listing and then discussed in a Shacknews forum, a puny proof of life for 3D Realms' perpetually unreleased Duke Nukem Forever has now been placed under the internet's collective microscope. "That's an in game, real-time shot of Duke standing in a random hallway," says George Broussard, posting on the official 3D Realms forums. "I'm glad some of you enjoyed it, and we'll show more later as we start to wake from our slumber and decide how best to show the game off."For a start, bigger screenshots would be nice. [Via Game|Life]
Duke Nukem on XBLA has "already been discussed"
"Mr. Broussard, do you have a minute?""Make it quick, I'm in the middle of a WoW raid.""I'm sorry ... quick?""You know, the opposite of slow?""Right! Well, Doom was released on Xbox Live Arcade just recently.""Oh, I know, I was playing it all day yesterday. Good stuff.""That's the general consensus, yes. Which is probably why every gamer ever now wants a port of Duke Nukem 3D as well.""Hmm, I like that idea. Provided Microsoft wants it too, I'm sure we could make that happen ... right after I level up some more."At least, that's how we imagine such a discussion to go down within the finely decorated offices of 3D Realms. Following Doom's successful outing on Xbox Live Arcade, fans have already begun a clamorfest (not an actual word) for an Xbox 360 port of that other FPS classic, Duke Nukem 3D. Commenting on the official 3D Realms forums, staff member Joe Siegler assured visitors that the idea had been favorably considered, but that getting a game onto Microsoft's service wasn't as easy as e-mailing them the original code. "I talked about this yesterday with George, he's all up for the idea, but we don't have the time to do the port ourselves, plus there's the issue of whetther [sic] Microsoft would really want it. Don't just assume they would, there's a big submissions procedure to go through. Plus their release schedule is booked solid for quite awhile now, even if we delivered it to them today, I would imagine it wouldnt' [sic] come out for awhile anyway."Imagine that. Still, if Microsoft were to eventually give the game their stamp of approval and a developer like Nerve were tasked with porting the game, it would probably be well worth the wait. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Demo Delay for Prey
Boomtown reports that George Broussard of 3DRealms has announced a likely delay in the release of the Prey demo for Xbox Live Marketplace. This likely comes as no surprise to those of you who stayed up all night waiting for it. In a posting on the 3DRealms website, Broussard made the following statement: "The 360 demo will not appear on Marketplace tonight [Wednesday]. I'm still waiting for specifics, but I'm being told that it's still in testing at Microsoft. From what I understand this isn't Microsoft's fault, and is more likely just an issue of timing. I'm hesitant to give any estimates for a release, but I've been told it should be reasonably soon after the pc release, but could be as long as a few days." As many of our commenters have already noted, if the demo doesn't hit today, it probably won't drop until Monday. There is one happy note: the PC demo is available if you've got the muscle to run it. [Via openXBOX360]
