Gearbox object against Duke Nukem delay being a marketing gimmick

You knew it, I knew it, hell… even the guys at Gearbox and 3D Realms must have seen it coming. But even after an eye-watering 14 years in development, Duke Nukem Forever got delayed by an entire month, originally due for a worldwide release on May 6th 2011.

After the recent push-back of Duke’s latest installment, which was announced by head of Gearbox Randy Pitchford via a “tongue-in-cheek” youtube video; word has gone around that the delay was nothing more than a marketing ploy. However, developer Gearbox denied the accusations and insisted that they did want a May release, and the delay was needed to polish up the final product, to ensure that the experience is as optimal as possible for the fans that have waited for so long.

In a recent interview with eurogamer.net, Randy Pitchford sent out a thank you to the fans, saying that their support throughout the process has been deeply appreciated. He said “We are driven by fans who are as anxious for the game to finally be released as we are. The continued support of our fans does miracles for our morale and that drives quality and performance. It’s for the fans that I am confident this slight schedule adjustment is the right thing to do.”

Unless any other unfortunate delays occur, Duke Nukem Forever will finally be released on Playstation 3, PC and Xbox360 on June 14th in North American, where the rest of the world will get an earlier release on June 10th.