History Trivia / DukeNukemForever

* BudgetBustingElement: The [[https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2010/09/the-death-and-rebirth-of-duke-nukem-forever-a-history/ need to keep up to date with the latest engine and fanciest graphics]] doomed ''Duke Nukem Forever'' and took down Creator/GeorgeBroussard's career with him (Creator/ThreeDRealms barely survived this one). ''Forever'' began to be developed in Creator/IdSoftware's Id Tech 2 engine (the same one that powered ''VideoGame/QuakeII'' and ''VideoGame/{{SiN|1998}}''). Before development started on the game, it was decided that Creator/EpicGames's Unreal Engine 1 (''VideoGame/UnrealI'' and ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament'') was the engine of choice; the 2001 leaked version was even running under this engine. By the time they switched to Creator/ValveSoftware's Source engine, they had more or less a working game and were putting the final touches. ''Then'' they switched to the Unreal Engine 2, but by then the game just went overbudget and the morale of the team was quite low; 5 years later the game was cancelled, and Creator/GearboxSoftware (already having established a name by themselves thanks to the SleeperHit ''VideoGame/Borderlands1'') bought the franchise and [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell resumed development in the game]], finally managing to finish and release the game.

* FranchiseKiller: Going through one of the most infamous examples of DevelopmentHell in entertainment history more or less put a handicap on the game right away when it finally was given the green light to stores, and the flaws that came out in spite of the "Perfectionist" attempts led to not much being said about Duke after the game was wrapped and Gearbox moved on. While not as well-known, the DS game, ''Duke Nukem: Critical Mass'', released the same year as ''Forever'', and its own negative reception among those who ''did'' play it certainly didn't do anything to help. Though Gearbox still kept a firm hold of the IP while the new owner of the 3D Realms IP moved on without Duke. Incidentally as of 2021, both are owned by the Embracer Group (though, in 2024, both were split again due to financial troubles at Embracer Group, with 3D Realms's parent company, Saber Interactive, split off into it's own company, and Gearbox bought by, ironically enough, Creator/TakeTwoInteractive.).

* FranchiseKiller: Going through one of the most infamous examples of DevelopmentHell in entertainment history more or less put a handicap on the game right away when it finally was given the green light to stores, and the flaws that came out in spite of the "Perfectionist" attempts led to not much being said about Duke after the game was wrapped and Gearbox moved on. While not as well-known, the DS game, ''Duke Nukem: Critical Mass'', released the same year as ''Forever'', and its own negative reception among those who ''did'' play it certainly didn't do anything to help. Though Gearbox still kept a firm hold of the IP while the new owner of the 3D Realms IP moved on without Duke. Incidentally as of 2021, both are owned by the Embracer Group.

* FranchiseKiller: Going through one of the most infamous examples of DevelopmentHell in entertainment history more or less put a handicap on the game right away when it finally was given the green light to stores, and the flaws that came out in spite of the "Perfectionist" attempts led to not much being said about Duke after the game was wrapped and Gearbox moved on. Though Gearbox still kept a firm hold of the IP while the new owner of the 3D Realms IP moved on without Duke. Incidentally as of 2021, both are owned by the Embracer Group.

* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: As shown on the trope's own page image, The Duke Nukem Forever Balls of Steel Edition! Comes with a bust of Duke himself, an artbook with art through the ages, a limited edition comic book, and other such novelties! All for the heart attack-causingly low price of $99.99! If you [[NoExportForYou live in the US]] and are near a Gamestop or have access to Amazon, that is. No actual Balls of Steel included, though.

* OldShame: George Broussard doesn't have too many kind things to say about the game, which is understandable considering its protracted development.

* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: [[http://www.gearboxity.com/images/web/dnf_balls_of_steel.jpg BEHOLD!]] The Duke Nukem Forever Balls of Steel Edition! Comes with a bust of Duke himself, an artbook with art through the ages, a limited edition comic book, and other such novelties! All for the heart attack-causingly low price of $99.99! If you [[NoExportForYou live in the US]] and are near a Gamestop or have access to Amazon, that is. No actual Balls of Steel included, though.

* RelationshipVoiceActor: The Holsom twins are voiced in the Japanese dub by Creator/EriKitamura and Creator/YukoGoto, aka [[Anime/QueensBlade Alleyne and Menace]] and [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Sayaka Miki and Junko Kaname]]. Miso and Chastity are voiced by Izumi Kitta and Sora Tokui, aka [[Anime/TanteiOperaMilkyHolmes Cordelia and Nero]] and [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Applejack and Rainbow Dash in Japanese]].

* TalkingToHimself: Near the beginning of the game Duke gets into a brief argument with an obnoxious tourist sitting on his throne. The obnoxious tourist is also played by Creator/JonStJohn, apparently. It seems the guy has a pretty impressive vocal range.

* ContentLeak: Two builds from the 2001 incarnation (one from August 21 and other from October 26) alongside the respective source core were leaked on 4chan on May 9 of 2022. There's still much investigation to be done, but it seems to be the same version that was shown on E3 2001.

* DevelopmentHell: Thanks to its excessive 14-year development time, it's known as one of the most infamous examples in video game history, if not THE most.

* ExecutiveMeddling: George Broussard was infamous at [=3D=] Realms for being a heavy-handed [[ThePerfectionist perfectionist]]. Wanting to keep [[EscapistCharacter his beloved Duke]] [[WereStillRelevantDammit as perfect and up-to-date as possible]], he went on a decade-long self-appointed quest to apply everything he found interesting into the game, to the point of buying the licenses for entire game engines to force his employees to work around them (an act WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation compared to a man trying to build a house opposite a boat as it sailed down a river). The constant delays (which got so bad that circa 2003 the developer changed the release date to "When It's Done") drove publisher and parent company Creator/TakeTwoInteractive nuts, and they had to resort to threatening lawsuits to get Broussard's team to speed up, following through with the threats in 2007. 3D Realms was dissolved in 2009 and development rights were passed on by Take-Two to Creator/GearboxSoftware the following year in hopes that the game would actually get out the door. The 14-year long mess nuked Broussard's career, as 3D Realms still exists and is making {{retraux}}-style games without him.

* NetworkToTheRescue: Gearbox bought the game to publish (allegedly, with funds embezzled from production of another game, ''VideoGame/AliensColonialMarines'') because, in Randy Pitchford's words, "Duke can never die, man".

* FanworkBan: To some extent. 2K Games' policy of forbidding the inclusion of modding tools made [[GameMod modding]] difficult.

* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: This was basically the ''Music/ChineseDemocracy'' of video games. To put it in perspective, '''everything on [[http://duke.a-13.net this list]]''' took less time to make than this. It's finally over. Among other things, the complete development of ''nuclear weapons'' was shorter! It's also HilariousInHindsight considering ''Videogame/HalfLife2: Episode Three'', which has since overshadowed ''DNF'' as the most infamous case of vaporware in the industry by virtue of ''Duke'' actually coming out.

* FanPreferredCutContent: The {{Content Leak}}ed 2001 build of the game has earned the general consensus of "janky and unpolished but promising", for its strong gunplay and much more focused vision than what [[FollowTheLeader the official release became]].