Duke Nukem Forever, the sequel to Duke Nukem
3D, quickly became one of the most hotly anticipated games of all time. But on May 6, 2009, everything ended.they gathered for a group photo. They were videogame programmers, artists, level builders, artificial-
intelligence experts. Their team was—finally—giving up, declaring defeat, and disbanding. So they headed down to the lobby of their building in Garland,
Texas, to smile for the camera. They arranged themselves on
top of their logo: a 10-
foot-wide nuclear-radiation sign, inlaid in the marble floor.To videogame fans, that logo is instantly recognizable. It's the insignia of Duke Nukem
3D, a computer game that revolutionized shoot-'em-up virtual violence in 1996. Featuring a swaggering, steroidal, wisecracking
hero, Duke Nukem 3D became one of the
top-selling videogames ever, making its creators very wealthy and leaving fans absolutely delirious for a sequel. The team quickly began work on that sequel, Duke Nukem Forever, and it became one of the most hotly anticipated games of all time.
Duke Nukem Lierop was From what he'd seen of it, Duke Nukem Forever was so well developed — and so graphically superior to any other game in production — that if
3D Realms pushed hard for a year, they could release it and "blow everyone out of the
water." No, no, Broussard replied. It was two years out.
Van Lierop was stunned. "I thought, '
Wow, how many times have you been here, near the finish line, and you thought you were way out?'"
