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3D Realms Sued Over Failed Duke Nukem Forever Plans

Posted by Soulskill on from the ponzi-would-be-proud dept.

Take-Two Interactive has now sued 3D Realms over the cancellation of Duke Nukem Forever . Take-Two did not provide continuous funding for the game, but they did pay $12 million for the publishing rights to the game. A Bloomberg report quotes Take-Two's complaint as saying that 3D Realms "continually delayed the completion date" and "repeatedly assured Take-Two and the video-gaming community that it was diligently working toward competing development of the PC Version" of the game. (The complaint refers to 3D Realms as part of Apogee Software, Ltd., not to be confused with Apogee Software, LLC, the publisher behind the still-forthcoming Duke Nukem Trilogy.)

4 of 180 comments (clear)

  1. It can't be about the money by 91degrees · · Score: 5, Insightful

    3D Realms don't have $12 million. If they did they wouldn't have gone belly up. A game developer has virtually no tangible assets. Computers will add up to the tens of thousands at most, devkits are owned by the console manufacturers, offices are leased. The IP is typically not going to have anyone wanting to buy it.

    The only exception to that last point is Take Two. They have a vested interest in making this game a reality. Presumably the point to this is that they become creditors and so will have a claim on the aspects of DNF that have been completed.

  2. Re:so where's the money going to come from? by Dissman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They have the Duke Nukem Intellectual Property, as well as whatever other games 3d Realms has produced over the years. Winning that in court would allow them to produce games, as well as movies or anything else. In the long term, it could be worth well north of the 12 million.

  3. 12 million!? by happy_place · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dang! Someone give me 12 million dollars to simply MAKE a game, and I could get it done in ten years. By myself... Finding it hard to have pity for 3D Realms...

    --
    http://www.beanleafpress.com
  4. Re:*Jaw Hits Floor* by ergo98 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You mean to tell me that there is someone in the world who not only actually believed that DNF would be finished someday, but they believe it so strongly that they were willing to invest $12 million into it?!?!?

    They paid that money 9 years ago. Yeah, most people believed the game might be someday finished 9 years ago. Even 7 years ago it was "soon". 5 years ago it was "gotta be sometime in the next couple of years". 3 years ago it was "are they actually still working on it?"