Take-Two Sues Duke Nukem Forever Developers

CriousGamer Writes....Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. filed a breach of contract suit against Apogee Software Ltd. this week in a Manhattan Court over the developer's "continually delayed" Duke Nukem sequel.

[Polluted]

Interesting. Law suits like this generally take years to get sorted out, but maybe as the case wears on we'll get a clearer picture of just what the hell was going on over at 3DRealms for the past 13 years.

I wonder what effect this lawsuit will have on the Duke IP and Apogee's ability to get the Duke trilogy for handhelds out the door on time.

[lsujester]

Apogee Software, Ltd is 3D Realms' official name. The Apogee doing the handhelds is a separate entity, named Apogee Software, LLC. It's a spin-off of 3D Realms, but officially it's another company.

[harrisk954]

How is Take 2 planning on getting money damages out of a company that is either bankrupt or soon will be declaring bankruptcy... get in line behind the other creditors...

[Polluted]

@Isujester: You're right about Apogee, LLC. Just saw this over at Shacknews:

"Apogee Software, Ltd is the official title of 3D Realms. The company abandoned the Apogee name in 1996 in favor of the 3D-oriented title. Apogee Software, LLC, an external publisher established in 2008, remains in operation."

You still gotta wonder what happens with the IP now. 3DRealms won't have the money to pay off Take Two if they lose the case (and I suspect they will), but what they do have is a valuable IP in Duke.

I guess handheld fans needn't be worried, though, as Apogee, LLC would have sorted out publishing rights well before 3DR went under.

[-Mezzo-]

I sucks to be Apogee right now.

[Nikuma]

Way to kick em while they're down Take-Two.

[lsujester]

Take-two paid them millions to actually make the game, yet there is nothing to show. It could easily be, "That a way to take their money and not do jack, 3D Realms."

[phosphor112]

But its their own damn fault. How stupid do you have to be Apogee?

[Kakkoii]

@lsujester: Actually, there is A LOT to show for it. They were pretty far into the development. Probably would have only taken them another year to get it finished up.

[table]

How the hell do we know if this story isn't BS? I don't trust those spelling mistakes.

Edit @ below: Will someone check that because I sure as hell cant be bothered. Looks like they just wrote any old rubbish to get hits.

[outlawlife]

lawsuits are public record?

[Polluted]

Here's an alternate source.

http://www.bloomberg.com/ap...

The lawsuit in question is the third one down.

[table]

Now that's more like it.

[outlawlife]

somebody somewhere will have to pay for the millions and millions of dollars they pissed away

[Phantom_T]

If I was Take-Two I would be pretty pissed off as well.

[pixelsword]

BALLS OF STEEL!

(language is not for kids)

[greyfox235]

"IT'S TIME TO KICK ASS AND CHEW BUBBLE GUM AND I'M ALL OUT OF GUM"

(WOMEN) "AND YOUR ALL OUT OF CUM" ><

[Nykamari]

I waisted my A.beverage laughing! You owe a Drink ;)
++bubbles too ya!

[No Way]

Lmao. That was great! Haha.

But, what were they talking about?
What she mean "get of my vent?" o.O

[TheBand1t]

Ventrillo. It's like TeamSpeak, but better.

[FragMnTagM]

I laughed so hard soda came out my damn nose man. That is one of the funniest damn things I have heard.

It would have been a little bit better, if he used a little more phrases. But f'ing hilarious nonetheless.

[No Way]

Oooh. A'ight. Lol.
Thanks. : )

[The BS Police]

3D Realms asked Take Two for 5 million dollars in order to finish the game, but Take Two refused to do so, so now Take Two is suing them because 3D realms can't finish the game?

That's a double standard on Take Twos part.

[Polluted]

Maybe, but Take Two already gave them a boat load of money in 2000, then another boat load of money in 2007 and they never got anything to show for it. When you look at it like that, it's entirely fair that Take Two should refuse to give them any more cash and it's hardly being "selfish" on their part to expect some compensation for their millions of dollars invested already.

Now since 3DR has gone out of business, Take Two must know they won't have the money to pay them back all that cash they borrowed. So what are they fishing for with this lawsuit? I'd be willing to bet Take Two wants the rights to Duke Forever and access to 3DR's unfinished code so they can give it to some other dev. house to complete. If it works, we'll probably all be playing Duke by next Christmas.

[DeadlyFire]

Well Take Two is looking to gain from this either way. They tried to buy Duke Nukem rights few days ago for 30 Million, but it was rejected. I believe that is the trigger for them. They say they want to own Duke Nukem and are trying to find something to make 3D Realms hand it over.

[SmokingMonkey]

....gone....again....completel y........?

[DA_SHREDDER]

so much for that Microsoft buying 3 D studios announcement. It makes me wonder what is Microsoft really doing for E3?

[outlawlife]

microsoft was never buying it, that was just something some blogger cooked up

it never held any water to begin with

[eddvdm]

@pixelsword

omg this was the f... funniest thing I saw for the last f.. F... weeks!

anyway.. duke can be dead or on court right now, I just thank the people who made him in first place, my life would totally be worse back there if wasn't for duke, and for that I give all this people my sincere thank you guys.

[evilmonkey501]

Sometimes $#it comes out...but just that. A$$holes for everyone.

[ElementX]

Funny, suing people who are bankrupt and have no money results in no money to be paid

[Gamer_Politics]

well take-two has everyright they paid 3drealms to bring out that duke nukem game and what happens?they waste 12 years doing nothing

[DA_SHREDDER]

Im still trying to figure out why they wasted so much time? What was really going on in that studio? thing is though duke wasn't all that great of a game to begin with. Sure it was cool back when games were only made out of a few pixels and animations, but the series has been dead since the ps1 days. A time to Kill was actually a good game, but it didn't do anything that other games weren't already doing.

I think these guys were just biting their time because they knew that this game sucked, and that it was gonna flop, so they just prolonged their death.

[don_wroc_love]

look at the article guys... ;)

it is about the PC version of DNF.....

not even a word about, for example, xbox360 version....... ;)

be patient... ;)

[Cajun Chicken]

Holy s**t.

[jay2]

T-2 should stop bit@@ing and give it to someone upto the job, (I'm talking decent graphics engine, 18 months to get the game out from the day they start ect).

[360isgreat]

Waste of everyones time.

[TrenchaunT]

As much as I want Duke to be finished, it's always "almost" done. It's always just a few more months. I don't blame Take Two for getting tired of that excuse. I think the lawsuit is just a strategic move to wrest the IP from 3D Realms' hands. They probably want to force a settlement out of court that includes the bargain sale of Duke to Take Two.

[gladiatory2k]

I remember an article by some former staffer posted here about a week ago about cliffy b going mafia on some guy because he wanted to drag out DNF development in order to drum up business for the unreal engine....maybe there is some legitimacy to that and take two has that guy cooperating with them. The author says it was a fictionalized account, but still worth a look.

here's the link:

http://gamingisstupid.com/2...

[Rhezin]

now we REALLY won't see DNF for about.....ten years at the least.

[Th3 Chr0nic]

thats what they get for being LIARS!!!!!

[-Mezzo-]

I think Apogee had this coming, it never looked like they were focused on this title at all.

it never looked like that they were actually trying to make a sequel to a popular franchise.

[MainEventX]

I'd sue they ass to if I gave them millions of dollars 12 years ago and they still didn't put out 1 game.

[SlaughterMeister]

Take Two sues for rights to the game and finishes developing it themselves.

[Thoreau]

the duke nukem developers don't have any money, nothing to lose when you get sued

[danielle007]

No need to sue, honestly, just crack the goddam whip!

Idc the outcome of the suit, just get the effin game finished, jebus rice.