Take-Two and Apogee have dismissed their lawsuits over Duke Nukem Forever, meaning we can finally get back into the comfortable routine of idly speculating about when it will be finished.
The story of the Duke Nukem debacle, the gaming world’s most infamous punchline, looked like it had finally come to its best possible conclusion last year when news came out that after 12 years in development – 12 freakin’ years – 3D Realms was closing its doors, bringing a hilarious end to the storied franchise. The truth turned out to be a little more complex than that, so complex in fact that I’m still not entirely clear on what actually happened, but the aftermath was entirely predictable: Lawsuits for everyone. Take-Two sued 3D Realms (under its legal name of Apogee Software) for running away with millions of its money while Apogee fired back with claims that Take-Two was messing with it in order to force a fire sale of the Duke Nukem property.
But now it looks like everybody’s friends again. Take-Two and Apogee have dismissed their suits with prejudice, meaning future suits over the same matter cannot be filed, and will each eat their share of the costs. What brought the two companies to this happy ending is unknown, but the important thing is this: With the legal bickering out of the way, development on Duke Nukem Forever can, in theory at least, begin again. I can hardly wait!
Source: GamePolitics
