Gearbox: It's been too long, but Duke Nukem Forever is a 'worthy' successor

Today, Gearbox released part one of a series of Duke Nukem Forever behind-the-scenes trailers meant to educate the world on the series' legacy, and the world definitely needs filling in. The Duke franchise was... was massively popular, but after all this time, it's hardly at the top of the zeitgeist. Some of the teenagers who will be playing Duke Nukem Forever were learning to walk when development started.

In the trailer, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford sympathizes, "Too long. We've waited too long, frankly, and I don't know if there's anything that can live up to the idea of 15 years of development. But this is absolutely a worthy successor and a worthy sequel to the game."

It may seem like a strange statement for us to pull out and quote, given how utterly obvious it is, but it's nice that Pitchford isn't one for hyperbole, and acknowledges that the years of waiting can't possibly be made up for. All Gearbox can hope to do is make a great game, and we hope it succeeds.

Watch the trailer above - no really, watch it, the Duke Nukem story is one of the most fascinating games industry yarns there is. And Duke is such an emulated archetype that I fear younger gamers (but not too young, of course, what with the well-deserved 'M' rating) may assume that Forever was influenced by games which were actually influenced by Duke Nukem in the first place.

Over-the-top badassery and shameless misogyny is Duke's territory! And if you're offended by any of that (not you, but you know, the rest of the world), try to remember that it's a parody (please).

Thanks to a month delay, which really shouldn't have surprised us, Duke Nukem Forever will be out June 14 in North America, and June 10 everywhere else. We've got high hopes (but perhaps not "15 years of development" high hopes).

Apr 7, 2011