TITLE
Learn to Let Go: How Success Killed Duke Nukem
AUTHOR
Clive Thompson
PUBLICATION
Wired
YEAR
2009
ARTICLE TYPE
Article
FROM THE ARTICLE
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.It was never completed. Screenshots and video snippets would leak out every few years, each time whipping fans into a lather — and each time, the game would recede from view. Normally, videogames take two to four years to build; five years is considered worryingly long. But the Duke Nukem Forever team worked for 12 years straight. As one patient fan pointed out, when development on Duke Nukem Forever started, most computers were still using Windows 95, Pixar had made only one movie — Toy Story — and Xbox did not yet exist.
COMPANIES MENTIONED
3D Realms
GAMES MENTIONED
Duke Nukem Forever
PRINT AVAILABILITY
January 2010 (Issue 18.01)