Gearbox Software have revealed that they are working towards a new Duke Nukem game, although it will not be available any time soon. Randy Pitchford, the president and CEO of Gearbox Software, announced that they have done early concept work to follow on from 2011’s Duke Nukem Forever.
“I did not acquire the franchise merely so we could all experience Duke Nukem Forever. That was the toll to pay to give Duke a chance,” Pitchford said about the franchise. Although the 2011 release was poorly received, with a critic average score of about 50/100 on metacritic, Pitchford believes that there is still potential for success with the franchise. Pitchford stated that he believes Duke Nukem to be be popular with the mainstream audience and possibly even more so than Borderlands.
Although Gearbox own the rights to Duke Nukem, it will likely have to be developed elsewhere. Gearbox find themselves very busy at the moment, currently working on MOBA-like console and PC shooter Battleborn as well as another Borderlands game and maybe even a new Brothers in Arms. “Gearbox is very busy,” Pitchford said. “I think the faster way is that a correct developer can become interested and we can work with them. I think it’s a challenging problem. But, I’ll tell you one thing. When it does happen, there’s no doubt that the whole industry will turn its head and look.”