Gearbox Software sues developers 3D Realms and Interceptor Entertainment. 3D Realms and Interceptor unveiled recently the game Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction, while the rights for the Duke Nukem franchise in the hands of Gearbox.
The news was discovered by Joystiq. 3DR tried after selling the rights to Duke Nukem in 2010, according to Gearbox ‘to convince others that that was not the case’. According to the correspondence of the Gearbox, which Joystiq obtained and online, is Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction since september of 2013, in development at 3DR and Interceptor. 3DR has, according to Gearbox so not to Interceptor let you know that it is not free to further Duke Nukem games to develop. At the beginning of February was Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction revealed.
“Apparently no good deed remained unpunished,” adds Gearbox. “Let’s not forget that, before Gearbox got involved,, 3D Realms more than twelve years was engaged in the development of Duke Nukem Forever.” Because it took so long was 3D Realms entangled in litigation with its publisher, Take Two. Gearbox was in his own words asked for by 3D Realms for not only the developer of the lawsuits to help, but also the “technological jigsaw puzzle of a game that Duke Nukem Forever was at that moment’. Gearbox agreed, because of the personal ties that the developer has with both 3D Realms as the fans of the Duke franchise. “Soon came on the Gearbox found out that 3DR’s work is perfectly imperfect; the mountain of problems that Gearbox encountered is too long to include in this letter to call,” according to the company.
It is not the first time that Interceptor Entertainment is not on one line with Gearbox Software. As has Interceptor in 2011, development of the mod Duke Nukem 3D Reloaded is shut down due to conditions on the development where the Interceptor could not go live.
A few days after 3DR the letter received, acknowledged Scott Miller and George Broussard, senior executives from 3DR, that they do not have the rights in the hands of a Duke Nukem game, and promised to have no further infringements in the trademark of Gearbox to commit. Gearbox is calling in the letter not only to the shut-down of the work on Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction, but also to financial compensation. In a statement to Joystiq let Gearbox know that, “3DR’s mistakes are unfortunate for everyone who cares about Duke Nukem.”