Duke Nukem Forever 6 - Game over

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Apogee LLC's Promised Duke Announcement Arrives, Does Not Even Mention Duke Nukem Forever

Apogee Software LLC has apparently made the promised Duke-related announcement, and the big news is that Apogee's expanding its search for a live-action Duke.
Making no mention of 3D Realms's closure or the doomed Duke Nukem Forever, Apogee announced that budding Dukes can now submit their auditions reels online.

The winning Duke will market Apogee's upcoming Duke Nukem Trilogy for the Nintendo DS and PSP, which sees Duke in a variety of genres and time periods, including WW2. Developed by Frontline Studios, the first installment 'Critical Mass' is due out this fall.

The men--and women--who would be Duke can size up the competition at the Duke Is Back website before uploading a video of their best grimace, flexing and one-liners.
_bron

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Op woensdag 13 mei 2009 19:58 schreef Q. het volgende:
Wat had je dan verwacht?

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Op woensdag 13 mei 2009 20:20 schreef Spatzmann het volgende:

[..]

Apogee LLC heeft natuurlijk ook niets met apogee LTD /3d realms te maken. Het is gewoon een bedrijf dat betaalt voor de naam + IP. Compleet apart bedrijf wat niet in de apogee LTD holding zit

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Company History

Since 1987, Apogee Software has been a multifaceted pioneer and innovator in the PC gaming industry. Apogee’s first breakthrough was in shareware marketing. Known in the shareware industry as the “Apogee model”, our breakthrough method of releasing a portion of a full game (an “episode”) as shareware (years before the Internet became popular) was risky and innovative, and done well before other PC game publishers released demos of their games — now standard practice.

Among other innovations popularized by Apogee in our early years include cheat codes (standard practice for our games as far back as in 1987), level warps and the so-called “god” invincibility mode. Apogee’s games, have always included skill levels and save/load game options, both very rare in PC games in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

Apogee is considered the founder and original champion of the independent game developer. Apogee nurtured some of today’s powerhouse developers, including id Software who relocated to Dallas have a closer working relationship with us during the development of Wolfenstein 3-D.

In 1994 Apogee created a new division, 3D Realms Entertainment, with the goal of developing innovative, interactive, immersive and of course fun 3D action games.

After a 13 year absence, Apogee Software is “Back in Action” as a publisher will continue its proud tradition of bringing top quality PC games direct to the consumer via digital distribution while at the same time expanding its publication muscle into next generation consoles.

Apogee Software, LLC, is a privately held Texas limited liability company, with a core team of industry experts in game development, publishing, and distribution. Apogee publishes original content for retail distribution of games for the PC and next generation consoles and handhelds.
_bron

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Op woensdag 13 mei 2009 20:47 schreef Grrrrrrrr het volgende:
Moet ik me al zorgen gaan maken en een Reker-avatar bestellen?

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Op woensdag 13 mei 2009 21:20 schreef Spatzmann het volgende:

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Scott Miller werkt nu toch bij Radar Group?

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Terry Nagy, originally of 3D Realms, now Chief Operating Officer of the newly resurrected Appogee Software is on hand to discuss just what it means for Duke to be back. As he said, "It's time."

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Op donderdag 14 mei 2009 09:09 schreef c0nd0r het volgende:

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Dus ze zijn nu de post erop aan het zetten met: "1 april met verlengsnoerr!1!111!! Hij komt toch nog! En wel volgende week! Kick ass!"?

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]
Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. filed a breach of contract suit against Apogee Software Ltd. this week in a Manhattan Court over the developer's "continually delayed" Duke Nukem sequel. Details of the suit were not disclosed in a report by Bloomberg, nor has the New York County Civil Court provided specifics about the damages Take-Two is seeking.

(For the record, the legal name of 3D Realms is Apogee Software Ltd., the party being sued. It is a separate entity from Apogee Software LLC, developers of the still alive Duke Nukem Trilogy.)

According to the complaint, "Apogee repeatedly assured Take-Two and the video-gaming community that it was diligently working toward competing development of the PC Version of the Duke Nukem Forever."

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Op vrijdag 15 mei 2009 09:22 schreef Spatzmann het volgende:
waarom doen ze het in new york? Terwijl 3drealms in texas zit...of zit take 2 in new york.

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By: ScottMi11er x
>>> Did Take Two give 3DR that $12 million for development <<<

No. We didn't get a penny of that money. This, along with so much else, is 100% spin, being eaten up by those who have no clue whatsoever. But, we cannot talk yet. We will, soon...
_bron

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Op vrijdag 15 mei 2009 22:46 schreef Grrrrrrrr het volgende:
Ik neem al even een voorschot op mijn gelijk en flikker mijn Reker-avatar in de prullenbak en begin al een beetje te lachen naar de conspiracy believers

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2003
http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?id=7653477

"By: Cygnus X-1 x
Isnt 3dr financing Duke THEMSELVES? WTF does their publisher have to do but wait for for it to be done?
May 29, 2003 3:08pm CST

By: GeorgeB3DR
Exactly. Take Two needs to STFU imo."

2003
http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?id=6846402

"By: Scott3DR x
The write-off has to do with the fee that Take2 paid to Infogrames to buy the rights to DNF. 3DR got no part of this money -- a total of $12 million.

The reason Take2 did this is that it's a smart revenue management move: Take a markdown now while Vice City is super successful and overall revenues are sky high, then when DNF comes out it's 100% pure profit (because they took the write-down well before the game came out).

2006
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6152687.html

"Broussard went on to outline the current status of Duke Nukem Forever. "Our deal is simple," he said. "We're making the game. It'll be done when it's done. We've funded 99.999% of the game (aside from a very, very small advance from GT Interactive, years ago, before Take 2 bought the game from them). It's our risk, our necks and our gamble. Under the deal we should be earning royalties from about unit 30,000 or so (that's a real small number)."

2007
http://www.yougamers.com/(...)would_be_king-page4/

"Given the publishing experience of 3DRealms and their willingness to tackle difference platforms, it made sense to enquire as to what lies ahead for DNF too. For example, are Take 2 Interactive Software still publishing Duke Nukem Forever? Given the amount of experience 3D Realms has in the production area, it might make more sense for 3DRealms to do this themselves:

Scott: Possibly, but Take2 has inherited the agreement we originally signed with GT Interactive back in the 90’s. This agreement does allow us to direct sale the game, such as through an online digital service, and we plan to take full advantage of this."

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By: ScottMi11er x
REPLY
>>> I would have sold the IP in a heart beat and created a new IP with that 30 million dollars. <<<

Hell, I would have also!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?id=19932664#itemanchor_19932664

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By: ScottMi11er x
>>> T2 declined but offered $30M for ownership of the IP and 3DR would have finished DNF.

We would have taken this offer without hesitation. Not. Even. Close.
http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?id=19932691#itemanchor_19932691

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Op zaterdag 16 mei 2009 13:11 schreef Athlon_2o0o het volgende:

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Dit hoort allemaal bij de marketingstunt joh

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Op maandag 11 mei 2009 22:56 schreef Swetsenegger het volgende:

Anyway. Tot op heden weten we simpelweg -niets- .

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Op dinsdag 12 mei 2009 01:00 schreef Athlon_2o0o het volgende:

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Jawel, we weten dit: dat de studio van 3D Realms gesloten is. De rest (marketingtrucs en dat Duke al gold is en meer speculatieve onzin) bedenken anderen erbij.

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Op dinsdag 12 mei 2009 08:26 schreef Swetsenegger het volgende:

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Precies. En faillisementen en dat DNF nooit meer uitkomt enzo. Ook dat wordt erbij verzonnen.

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Op maandag 18 mei 2009 11:44 schreef HugoBaas het volgende:
Nog steeds geen persbericht.
Hmm zou toch wel moeten komen eigenlijk, aangezien er vorig weekend werd aangekondigt dat er een persbericht zou komen de komende week.

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Op maandag 18 mei 2009 21:03 schreef Gamer_V het volgende:
Hou eens op met me hoop te geven

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Hey gang..

While I don't work at 3DR anymore, I did participate in what I'm about to talk about before I walked out the door. The project will be finished by Bryan Turner (who is still at 3DR for the time being), but I was given the OK to talk about this.

As I've kind of hinted at in other forum posts, there is a big update coming for the 3D Realms Online Store. For the last two days I worked at 3DR, I did nothing more than one final major remaster of the product line. I took all the files that we were selling as downloadable items and remastered them. I put DOSBox wrappers around them. This is probably less of an issue for folks on these forums, but the majority of tech queries we got were from people who had zero idea on how to install a DOS program, much less run it. So they all got DOSBox wrappers.

But it didn't stop there. I took all the games that we sold as CD media only, and created downloadable installs for them, too. That includes Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, Death Rally, & Terminal Velocity. So these games will be available in our store.

But it didn't stop there, either. I also hit some other games. We will be selling Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project as a download for the first time, and we will also be selling something we have not sold in several years now. BALLS OF STEEL! This is basically every game that we can still sell that hasn't been released as freeware. They'll all be available in the new store update that is coming.

But I saved the best for last. Long time 3DR forum members will remember me talking about a ROTT CD master that never got made. It was to combine the Site License ROTT CD with the EROTT CD, as well as a pile of user created things. Well, that CD never got pressed, and the version we've sold in the store for awhile was a lesser version. NOT NOW! This new ROTT download (which is 48.3Mb) has everything you can think of. It's every single stinkin thing that Apogee ever released for ROTT back in the day. It also includes a pile of user created things. Also, given my personal love for ROTT, I tossed in a few surprises for people who buy that.

Redoing the product line with a DOSBox wrapper, as well as bringing back and/or adding several things to the online store was my final act as an actual employee of 3DR. I saved ROTT for last. It was mastered between about 6:40PM and 8:15PM Central time on Friday May 22nd.

Now the part I have to say I don't know is when. It's supposed to be this week, but I can't tell you exactly when - and I won't be involved with the actual launch, either. My part in all this was to remaster the product line. That was quite a challenge, as I had to learn a new install program, go over the whole product line, make sure everything was there, build the installs, test them - it was QUITE the whirlwind, I tell you.

These downloads come with those PDF manuals and the hint sheets (where available), as well as with Windows icons, it's all quite nice. It was a freakin whirlwind for me to get 26 game files remastered. I did one and a half on Thursday (mostly to get the structure right, and to learn the install program), and did the remaining 23 and a half on Friday. Man, that was one long day. But it was my last, and I've always considered game installs my baby, so I'm glad I got to do this one final time, and make the installs something nice.

The complete list of stuff that will be available for sale through the new 3D Realms store site update is:

Balls of Steel
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold
Commander Keen Galaxy
Commander Keen Vorticons
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure
Crystal Caves
Death Rally
Duke Nukum
Duke Nukem II
Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project
Hocus Pocus
Math Rescue
Monster Bash
Mystic Towers
Paganitzu
Planet Strike
Raptor: Call of the Shadows
Realms of Chaos
Rise of the Triad (or as I call it, Ultimate ROTT)
Secret Agent
Shadow Warrior
Terminal Velocity
Wacky Wheels
Wolfenstein 3D
Word Rescue

I have no idea what the pricing on this stuff will be, so don't ask. That was all stuff handled this week, after I've left. I was just given permission to talk about the remastering stuff and that it will be available shortly.

This will be in a new store - Yahoo store won't be active anymore for new sales once the new stuff goes up. But at this point, you're probably better off waiting for the new store downloads.

From a technical standpoint, I used the Inno Install program, which uses LZMA compression routines, so things are packed more efficiently. This is an in issue as I'm including DOSBox with every install, too.

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Duke Nukem series creator 3D Realms/Apogee Ltd. has responded to publisher Take-Two's lawsuit over the incomplete state of Duke Nukem Forever, revealing that 3DR is continuing to work on the long-delayed title alongside word that a previously unknown separate Duke game was in the works at a "well-known videogame developer."

Duke Nukem Forever
The new effort, titled "Duke Begins," was part of the October 2007 Agreement that saw Take-Two provide 3D Realms with $2.5 million. That sum was paid July 2008 in order to "help fund the development of the DNF game," with 3D Realms having previously said the money was "in connection with another agreement for an unannounced game."

The Take-Two-published Duke Begins was slated for release by mid-2010, with development set to begin within 2 months of the October 2007 agreement and 3D Realms stating that it needed to approve "any changes to that [development] schedule."

"All development work by the third-party game developer" on Duke Begins was halted in April 2009, 3D Realms claims "upon information and belief." However, 3D Realms says that "Take-Two...simply denied [the stoppage]," with a later letter to Take-Two VP Dan Emereson regarding the game's status said to have been "ignored."

As 3DR believes that Duke Begins "has been delayed by 12 months or longer," the company says that the push has harmed both 3DR and the Duke franchise, and will "delay any royalty payments...from sales of the Duke Begins game and prevent Apogee from being able to repay the [$2.5 million] advance when it becomes due in 2012."

Furthermore, 3D Realms believes that Take-Two is "taking such actions with a goal of pressuring [3D Realms/Apogee Ltd.] to sell the Duke Nukem franchise rights to Take-Two for less than their true value."

Since 3DR was not consulted regarding its perceived delay of Duke Begins, the company accuses Take-Two of breaching the October 2007 contract, and is demanding a jury trial, with damages believed to "be far in excess of $75,000, excluding interest and costs, including lost royalties and damage to the Duke Nukem franchise rights."

3D Realms adds that the October 2007 Agreement also served to "extinguish any right Take-Two had to any sequel to the DNF game or any videogames based upon a Duke Nukem movie."

On Duke Nukem Forever

The developer also shed additional light on negotiations with Take-Two regarding a 3D Realms-developed Xbox 360 edition of the then-PC only Duke Nukem Forever. Along with the Xbox 360 port, the negotiations included the addition of multiplayer and the funding necessary for 3D Realms to complete Duke Nukem Forever PC within 12 months.

3D Realms says that it requested $6 million to "cover the costs to complete both the Xbox 360 and PC versions" of the notoriously long-in-development title, with Take-Two supposedly agreeing to this amount. However, Take-Two lowered the amount of $5 million, and, "at the last minute (on April 22 [2009])" further lowered it to $2.5 million.

This coincides with 3D Realms' previous statement that Take-Two "materially changed the parameters of the proposed funding agreement" into something 3D Realms could not "financially afford," with 3D Realms then rejecting an "unacceptable" proposal Take-Two made for the franchise and development team.

3D Realms adds that Take-Two couldn't have been "unsure of the development progress" for the game, as Take-Two claimed in its filing, because Take-Two "stated it was impressed with the gameplay and pleased with the development progress on the game" when 3D Realms visited the company in April 2009.

The negotiations ceased on May 1, 2009, according to 3D Realms, with the company laying off "most of the DNF game development team" a few days later on May 6. 3D Realms claims that "Take-Two was fully aware this was going to happen weeks before this date is a funding agreement was not reached."

In addition, 3D Realms denied allegations that it has "a substantial amount of funds deposited in an off-shore account."

Lastly, 3D Realms says that "Take-Two in not entitled to any relief on its claims" for various reasons, including "unclean hands," noting that "Take-Two has no right to access the source code for the PC Version of the DNF Game until the game is completed by [3D Realms/Apogee Ltd.]," the "DNF License Agreement does not provide a deadline," and "the option [for Take-Two] to develop such 'Console Versions' of the DNF game is not exercisable unless and until the PC Version of the DNF game is released at retail."

Surprisingly, 3D Realms explicitly notes that it continues to work on "the development of" Duke Nukem Forever, though "it released the majority of its employees working on the development" because of a "lack of funding to sustain the high level of development."

"[3D Realms/Apogee Ltd.] admits that it has continually worked on the development of the DNF for many years, and continues to do so," reads the specific clause.

"3DR has been in nearly a dozen lawsuits (including against Warner and Fox)," 3D Realms/Apogee Ltd. founder Scott Miller said of Take-Two's pending litigation exactly one week ago. "We're always innocent, and we always win. This one is no exception. Give it a year, then the truth will come out."

At the time, Miller added that "filed lawsuits are entirely one-sided statements, based on knee-deep BS and with more spin that[sic] a top."
_bron

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Op vrijdag 10 juli 2009 13:11 schreef appelsientje het volgende:

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zouden ze er dan toch weer mee verder gaan?? ach hoop doet leven

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Duke Nukem series creator 3D Realms/Apogee Ltd. has responded to publisher Take-Two's lawsuit over the incomplete state of Duke Nukem Forever, revealing that 3DR is continuing to work on the long-delayed title

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Op dinsdag 14 juli 2009 18:44 schreef Gamer_V het volgende:
Dat zou een awesome eindbaas geweest zijn