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'Duke Nukem' franchise ownership finally settled
A dispute that left ownership of the Duke Nukem franchise in limbo has officially been settled. In a statement, Gearbox Software affirmed that it's the "full and rightful owner of the Duke Nukem franchise." Previous rights-holder and creator 3D Realms (aka Apogee Software) relinquished all claims, saying "to secure the future of Duke, 3D realms has agreed with Gearbox that a single home serves (it) best." That's a far cry from the rancor between the parties after Gearbox launched the lawsuit in 2014, however. Gearbox assumed it had bought the full franchise rights from 3D Realms, until 3D Realms announced that it was creating a new title called Duke Nukem Survivor.
3D Realms returns with 32-game Anthology release
Once-defunct publisher 3D Realms has re-opened its doors, releasing a 32-game compilation and promising a slate of upcoming releases from a newly-assembled staff. The 3D Realms Anthology, available for $19.99 from the publisher's website, collects Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy, Wolfenstein 3D, Rise of the Triad: Dark War, and other classic PC games in a DRM-free package. Many of the company's past works -- including Alien Carnage, Major Stryker, and Stargunner -- are also available as free downloads. 3D Realms shed its former staff in 2008, but retained its rights to Duke Nukem and other landmark PC franchises. Rise of the Triad developer Interceptor Entertainment acquired label owner Apogee Software earlier this year, and now controls all associated IP and branding. [Video: 3D Realms]
One-armed mercenary Bombshell has roots in Duke Nukem
3D Realms and parent company Interceptor Entertainment unveiled Bombshell today, a top-down action-RPG starring a bionic leading lady of the same name. The Unreal Engine game is coming to the PS4 and PC in Q1 2015, and Interceptor says it'll be the first entry in a brand new franchise the company has "great long-term goals and ambitions for." As detailed on the game's "nogumneeded.com" website, Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison is a mercenary for hire with a bionic arm that transforms into different weapons. According to game director Frederik Schreiber. her inspiration lies in 80s action movies and cyberpunk, and she traces her roots to an unused character concept for the Duke Nukem series. [Source: Interceptor Entertainment]
3D Realms responds to Gearbox, claims it owns Duke Nukem trademark
3D Realms isn't backing down from its most recent legal dispute with Gearbox, after the studio asserted it has the rights to develop its Duke Nukem game, and more than that, it has the sole rights to the Duke Nukem trademark. Following 3D Realms' tease of Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction, Gearbox announced it's suing the developer over unauthorized use of the Duke Nukem property and a violation of trademarks. In its complaint, Gearbox said 3D Realms sold the franchise rights to Gearbox in 2010 but then "sought to privately convince others that the sale never happened." 3D Realms filed its response to Gearbox last week, and the now Interceptor-owned studio provided Polygon with the following statement explaining its position: "On March 17, 2014, 3D Realms filed its answer to the complaint by Gearbox Software in Dallas, Texas. 3DR denies all allegations set forth in the complaint. In its answer, 3DR has submitted evidence showing that Gearbox at no point intended to enter into good faith negotiations but instead sought to force former owners, Scott Miller and George Broussard, to improperly surrender what rightfully belonged to 3DR. "It is our position that 3DR retains the right to develop the tentatively titled "Duke Nukem Survivor" game for specific platforms. This game was previously licensed for development to Interceptor Entertainment. Furthermore, it is our position that the Trademark for "Duke Nukem" was never assigned to Gearbox, but remains the sole property of 3DR." A spokesperson for Interceptor Entertainment explained "Duke Nukem Survivor" is the tentative title for Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction. Interceptor provided its own statement to Polygon, adding that "It's unfortunate that Gearbox has shown no intention of finding a peaceful solution with us. We will however continue to work towards a solution." Last month's legal action comes five months after 3D Realms and Gearbox's last dispute. 3D Realms filed a lawsuit against Gearbox in June 2013 over unpaid royalties from Duke Nukem Forever, only to withdraw it three months later after reviewing the evidence. [Image: Interceptor Entertainment]
3D Realms acquired by Rise of the Triad developer
Interceptor Entertainment, developer of the 2013 Rise of the Triad reboot, has acquired Apogee Software, who in turn owns the 3D Realms brand and formerly owned the Duke Nukem IP. The news was first reported by Danish newspaper Borsen, and confirmed on Twitter by Interceptor CEO Frederik Schreiber. Apogee/3D Realms recently became embroiled in a legal battle with Gearbox Software, the current owners of Duke. It's not clear how the acquisition will impact the ongoing legal battle, but Schreiber noted that Interceptor will have an official statement tomorrow. [Image: Apogee]
Interceptor CEO on Duke Nukem case: We 'acted in good faith'
Interceptor CEO Frederik Schreiber has acknowledged yesterday's surprise lawsuit between Gearbox Software, the current license holder of the Duke Nukem franchise, and 3D Realms and Interceptor, the two studios currently collaborating on top-down shooter Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction. "We are aware of the lawsuit against 3D Realms and Interceptor," Interceptor CEO Frederik Schreiber told Game Informer. "It's an unfortunate situation, but we have acted in good faith and are working towards a resolution." 3D Realms has yet to comment on the situation. The Duke Nukem license was purchased by Gearbox in 2010. Yesterday's filing claims 3D Realms "sought to privately convince others that the sale never happened." This isn't the first time Gearbox and 3D Realms have gotten into a legal kerfuffle. After Gearbox purchased the Duke Nukem license and shipped Duke Nukem: Forever, 3D Realms sued over alleged unpaid royalties. A few months later, 3D Realms offered a public apology and dismissed the lawsuit. [Image: Gearbox]
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]
Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction teases top-down action
Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction is a top-down, action RPG for PC and PS4 from Interceptor Entertainment and 3D Realms, according to a teaser site at alloutofgum.com (warning: auto-playing, manly music) and a Facebook page. The Facebook page briefly contained scripts of alien text that described the death of a planet and the hard-won survival of its population, the Kyrr, as translated by fans. "Duke Nukem kicks ass across planets in an Unreal Engine-powered galactic adventure to save the president from an apocalyptic alien threat," the translation reads. "All new enemies. A never-before-seen arsenal of devastating weaponry and series-first mechanics, including experience points and tech trees, will let Duke rip 'em a new one in a way he never has before." Interceptor Entertainment is the studio behind Rise of the Triad and iOS ports of Duke Nukem games, and in December we noticed it was working on a PC and PS4 game dubbed "Project Ascender." 3D Realms handled 2011's Duke Nukem Forever with Gearbox Software, a relationship that ended with a canceled lawsuit and ... Duke Nukem Forever. The timer on Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction's teaser site hits zero on February 25. [Image: 3D Realms]
Rise of the Triad dev working on next-gen 'Project Ascender'
Interceptor Entertainment, Aalborg, Denmark-based developers of Rise of the Triad and iOS ports of Duke Nukem and its sequel, are currently working on a game known as "Project Ascender." The game is in development for PS4 and PC, and has been in the works since September. The project's existence is made known through two Interceptor developer LinkedIn profiles, namely that of CEO Frederik Schreiber. The other LinkedIn profile in question, for Executive Producer Khaled Ibrahimi, lists a 2014 release window for the project. The project linked in Schreiber's profile lists 19 team members on the project, including IP Creator Scott Miller, co-founder and CEO of 3D Realms.
Rise of the Triad review: Everything old is still old
Interceptor Entertainment's bang-up job of recreating Rise of the Triad for the modern era unavoidably highlights some of the original's flaws, and serves as a stark reminder that certain relics just can't live up to our warm, fuzzy memories. Rise of the Triad starts off fabulously well. A stylized comic book opening introduces us to the five members of H.U.N.T. - the High-risk United Nations Task force - after which we're dropped into a top-down map of San Nicolas, an island that's been taken over by a mysterious organization known only as the Triad. The name of the game: Infiltrate, investigate and blast the holy hell out of everything that moves.%Gallery-176985%
Rise of the Triad returns on July 31, pre-orders get Throwback Pack
Rise of the Triad is due on July 31 and available for pre-order now, for $15, through Steam, GOG, Green Man Gaming and original developer Apogee's own store. Pre-orders get the Apogee Throwback Pack for free. The pack usually runs $10 and includes Rise of the Triad: Dark War, the Extreme Rise of the Triad expansion pack, Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold and Blake Stone: Planet Strike. Apogee published the Blake Stone series starting in 1993 with the shareware version of Aliens of Gold, from developer JAM Productions. It's a first-person space adventure romp that uses the Wolfenstein 3D engine and follows British Intelligence agent Blake Stone as he takes out interstellar threats. This year's Rise of the Triad is a revival of the 1994 shareware shooter from Apogee Software. The revamp comes care of Apogee and Interceptor Entertainment, with a single-player campaign, multiplayer modes, a level editor and a brand new heavy metal soundtrack. Rise on.
Rise of the Triad out this summer, here's what you'll need to play it
The release window for Apogee Software and Interceptor Entertainment's revival of Rise of the Triad has been narrowed from sometime this year to sometime this summer, it was announced on the game's official blog today. Also unveiled, in addition to the homage cover artwork above, was the fact that RotT will be available simultaneously on Steam, GOG and Green Man Gaming upon launch. In order to run it, first-person nostalgia aficionados will need a minimum of two gigs of RAM and either a Radeon HD 3870 or an NVIDIA 8800 GT, plugged into the same motherboard as a 2.4 GHz dual-core processor running Windows XP or newer. For the best experience, double the RAM, bump up to the 64-bit version of Windows 7 and drop in a Radeon HD 6950 or GeForce GTX 560.
18 minutes of Rise of the Triad multiplayer
Interceptor Entertainment's remake of Apogee's Rise of the Triad will be out sometime soon – no specifics announced yet – for $14.99. In the meantime, we can share 18 minutes of the game's old-school multiplayer action.
Duke Nukem 2 hits iOS next month
Duke Nukem's two-dimensional VGA romp through the alien-ridden, distant future year of 1998 is coming to various iOS devices next month, in celebration of the game's twentieth anniversary. Originally released in 1993 for MS-DOS, Duke Nukem 2 will be available for $1.99 and will be compatible with iOS devices iPhone 4S and newer, including iPad Minis and last-generation's iPod Touch.As seen in the trailer above, Interceptor Entertainment's iOS port uses virtual button controls to navigate Duke through the game's 32 levels. While Duke's pre-3D adventures were a little bit more Contra than they were Doom, the franchise's sense of humor had already been firmly cemented in place, much like his hairstyle.
How a level is built in Rise of the Triad
We imagine this is actually how a lot of Unreal Engine 3 games are built, actually. Still, this time lapse video shows off some of the tricks that couldn't be pulled with the Wolfenstein 3D engine that ran the original Rise of the Triad. Tricks like, you know, round surfaces.%Gallery-163733%
Unleashing ludicrous gibs in the Rise of the Triad revival
By the late 90s, Apogee Software – the legal name of 3D Realms – was a household name for hardcore PC gamers. The Texas-based studio was responsible for franchises like Duke Nukem and published some of id Software's earliest hits such as Wolfenstein 3D.Years later that partnership continues as Apogee made its return to id's annual QuakeCon event in Dallas to announce the revival of Rise of the Triad – a cult-favorite first-person shooter released in 1995. Though its popularity never reached the same level as Doom, Rise of the Triad gained a niche fan base for its over-the-top nature. It's the kind of game that has a character named I.P. Freely; the kind of game with a gun that shoots a literal wall of flame, because why not?Rise of the Triad's return is being developed by people with at least a little experience in modernizing old Apogee products. Developer Interceptor Entertainment was formed in 2010 to create Duke Nukem 3D: Reloaded, a fan project turned official remake that was put on hold indefinitely in late 2011. Apogee decided Interceptor could be trusted with another of its franchises and supported the development team by adding former Rise of the Triad devs and mod makers to Interceptor's squad.%Gallery-161630%
Rise of the Triad's return will cost $14.99; free DLC planned
The return of the PC classic Rise of the Triad from developer Interceptor Entertainment will be sold digitally for $14.99 and offer all post-launch DLC for free, the dev announced during QuakeCon 2012.Marketing director Dave Oshry told Joystiq the priority was being faithful to the original Rise of the Triad in the core game, with add-on content allowing the Interceptor team to go crazy once the remake is finished.Oshry says that co-op has been one of the most requested additions players at QuakeCon have asked for, so it's now on the minds of the developers as something to pursue in the future. Even weapons came up as a possible addition – such as shotguns, which were not featured in the 1994 original – but part of their inclusion would depend on player interest. As far as Interceptor is concerned, the sky is the limit, and the developer plans to support the game well after launch.As if running down a checklist of oft-requested features from PC players, the game will also be DRM-free, completely moddable, run at 60 frames per second and have plenty of adjustable settings to let the game run on older hardware.An exact release date has yet to be revealed; however, during a QuakeCon panel, the developer promised it would arrive "late this year or early next year ... at the latest, early 2013."%Gallery-161630%
Rise of the Triad returns to PC this year, powered by Unreal Engine 3
When it comes to the early days of first-person shooters, names like Wolfenstein 3D and Doom come up a lot. There are some, however, lucky enough to remember Rise of the Triad, a frenetic, gory and occasionally downright goofy shooter from 1994. Now, after over 15 years, Rise of the Triad is coming back, Apogee Software has announced (confirming the rumor from earlier today).Rise of the Triad is being built on Unreal Engine 3 and is under development at Interceptor Software, which includes original ROTT level designer Joe Siegler as one of its members. The game will feature a single-player campaign, online multiplayer and a level editor that will allow players to share maps via Steamworks. And yes, it will include all of ROTT's bizarre weapons and, of course, Dog mode.Rise of the Triad is slated for "late this year."%Gallery-161630%
Rumor: New Rise of the Triad in the works
A Twitter account for Apogee's 1994 first-person shooter, Rise of the Triad, has been discovered. The bio for the account reads, "The world's most ludicrous shooter has returned!" The obvious implication is that a new Rise of the Triad, or possibly a remake, is in the works.The account follows two other Twitter users, namely Apogee Software and Interceptor Entertainment. Interceptor, as it turns out, employs one Joe Siegler, who just so happens to be a level designer from the original Rise of the Triad. As a Duke4.net forum-goer pointed out in June, Siegler's bio states that he's working on an "undisclosed project," and that spilling the beans would "require the death of the whole world 30 years later by one of his descendants." For those without incredible memories, that's a direct reference to the bad ending of Rise of the Triad.Rise of the Triad has popped up a few times in the last couple of years, being released on iPhone in 2010, followed by developer Apogee opening a new online store in 2011 to peddle its classics, including ROTT.
