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Shocker: Duke Nukem Forever delayed to June

Duke Nukem Forever, scheduled to launch on May 3, has been delayed until June. It's another in a long line of holdups for the title.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
2 min read

Another delay for Duke Nukem Forever.
Another delay for Duke Nukem Forever. 2K Games

Just when we thought Duke Nukem Forever would finally hit an expected release date, the title has once again been delayed.

According to the game's developer, Gearbox Software, the long-awaited title has been pushed back a month and will now launch on June 10 internationally and on June 14 in North America. It will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Duke Nukem Forever allows players to control the brash character as he saves the world from "pig cops, alien shrink rays, and enormous alien bosses." Like previous Duke Nukem releases, the title will be irreverent in every sense of the word and appeal to adult audiences that are looking for "catchy one-liners that will make your mama blush, and frantic, bone-shaking action sequences that will simultaneously rock your world and your neighbors' walls."

The title has been a long time coming. It was first announced in April 1997 as a follow-up to Duke Nukem 3D. Though it was slated to hit store shelves in 1998, the game's developer at the time, 3D Realms, switched the game engine from Quake II to Unreal, causing its first delay. Over the next several years, rumblings emerged from time to time, indicating that the game was still in development and would be launching at one point or another. Time and again, fans of the franchise were disappointed.

After years of waiting, 2K Games announced last year that Duke Nukem Forever was in fact in development, and Gearbox Software had taken over the game from 3D Realms. Back in January, the companies announced that Duke Nukem Forever would be launching on May 3 in North America and May 6 internationally.

"When I said goodbye to 3D Realms and the original Duke Nukem 3D team in 1997 and soon after founded Gearbox Software, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that a day like today would come," Gearbox Software President Randy Pitchford said in a statement at the time. "Today I am proud, humbled and even astounded to announce that the day is coming at last for all gamers to be a part of video game history: Duke Nukem Forever will launch worldwide this May."

Now, that has proven to be yet another in a long line of broken promises surrounding the franchise. And Pitchford today was forced to apologize for that.

"I'm very sorry for the added delay," he said in a statement. "We've all been working extremely hard and are very eager to deliver the game to you."