Duke Nukem 4 Never

[Svartalf]

I thought the previous publisher was GT Interactive, which was bought out by Infogrames. Didnt Take 2 pay them the 12m for the publishing rights?

No, GT was first, GoD was second, Take-Two was third- all the handoffs were due to the publisher in question imploding or being bought out. They bought GoD and one of the parts of the deal was the licensing rights to DNF for 12 mil. If Take-Two/2k has a beef over the $12 mil they paid in, it's not with 3DR; it's with the prior principals of GoD. They didn't pay anyone at 3DR any money, ever; they just held the publication rights to it just like they held the rights to the first Ep on Prey. They've PUBLICLY stated that for the record, even. It remains to be seen that Take-Two has anything that'll work in court at this point because of that history.

[Dragonlord]

well then im a zombie

Where did I left my GravGun?

[L33F3R]

Unfortunately this might be true... as a German proverb goes: "Totgesagte leben l?nger!" ( those considered dead live longer ).

well then im a zombie

[xav1r]

My take on this, based on the tracing of the history is this:

1. 3DRealms had a publishing deal with Gathering of Developers (GoD) while they were still in business.
2. GoD became a subsidiary (but not directly associated with Take-Two) sometime around 1999.
3. GoD was purchased outright by Take-Two in 2000. The $12M claimed to have been paid for the rights was part of the purchase deal for GoD.
4. Later on, Take-Two offered a payment of 4.5 million plus royalties on the delivery of the game with an additional half mil bonus if delivered on or before December 31, 2006.
5. At no point did Take-Two pay anyone at 3DRealms anything. They hold the publishing rights contract that was signed with the Gathering of Developers for whatever deal that was made (no details on that contract are known, but it certainly wasn't for 12Mil...).

It doesn't seem that Scott's remarks are out of line or false- and don't characterize anything other than disputing the outstanding line that people keep thinking happened; which is that Take-Two paid them $12 million which they really, really didn't.



No kidding... But...it's time to stick a fork in it...it's done...

Does that mean it'll get published?

I thought the previous publisher was GT Interactive, which was bought out by Infogrames. Didnt Take 2 pay them the 12m for the publishing rights?

[Dragonlord]

Unfortunately this might be true... as a German proverb goes: "Totgesagte leben l?nger!" ( those considered dead live longer ).

[SolidSteel144]

One day this game might actually come out (or not).

[Svartalf]

Hmmm, now 3D Realms is saying Take 2 never even paid for the publishing rights. If that's the case I can see MS moving in after the court case.

My take on this, based on the tracing of the history is this:

1. 3DRealms had a publishing deal with Gathering of Developers (GoD) while they were still in business.
2. GoD became a subsidiary (but not directly associated with Take-Two) sometime around 1999.
3. GoD was purchased outright by Take-Two in 2000. The $12M claimed to have been paid for the rights was part of the purchase deal for GoD.
4. Later on, Take-Two offered a payment of 4.5 million plus royalties on the delivery of the game with an additional half mil bonus if delivered on or before December 31, 2006.
5. At no point did Take-Two pay anyone at 3DRealms anything. They hold the publishing rights contract that was signed with the Gathering of Developers for whatever deal that was made (no details on that contract are known, but it certainly wasn't for 12Mil...).

It doesn't seem that Scott's remarks are out of line or false- and don't characterize anything other than disputing the outstanding line that people keep thinking happened; which is that Take-Two paid them $12 million which they really, really didn't.

Either way I see Duke being published "when it's done".

No kidding... But...it's time to stick a fork in it...it's done...

Does that mean it'll get published?

[deanjo]

Hmmm, now 3D Realms is saying Take 2 never even paid for the publishing rights. If that's the case I can see MS moving in after the court case.

Shacknews has some court documents from the Take-Two lawsuit against 3D Realms indicating the publisher is claiming it is owed "millions of dollars," and is seeking the court's help in protecting the source code and other assets from Duke Nukem Forever. They also have a comment from Scott Miller, who says 3D Realms will have more to say on the matter soon, but in the meantime he denies Take-Two's claim that it paid 3D Realms $12 million for the DNF publishing rights, "No. We didn't get a penny of that money," says the 3D Realms co-owner, who adds: "This, along with so much else, is 100% spin, being eaten up by those who have no clue whatsoever."

Either way I see Duke being published "when it's done".

[Svartalf]

Do you really think they are worth that much? I mean, what, 6 figures for some dos era not so big name games?

Now... What did I say before...hm?

Just because YOU value them at less than 5 figures, doesn't mean the business or the Trustee will value them less.

Where would anyone interested go asking for a shot at buying the rights anyways?

Typically, if the the company goes into Chapter 11, they peddle it to other companies. If they're in Chapter 7, the Trustee will initially try to peddle it to the usual suspects and then possibly hold a sealed bid auction on it if there's no takers. The average people typically DO NOT have an in on getting to make offers on things there.

This presumes the company files bankruptcy. If they don't, you have to know the principals or be hooked up with them. Typically, they're looking for 5 figures for most things in that situation.

[L33F3R]

Do you really think they are worth that much? I mean, what, 6 figures for some dos era not so big name games? Where would anyone interested go asking for a shot at buying the rights anyways?

it's like L33F3R's fuzzy wuzzy teddy bear, it has sentimental value

(no i dont have 1 [that i know of])