The Duke Nukem Forever Interview

What's Changed?

BT: Screenshots of the game were originally released in 2002, but the game engine has obviously had a complete overhaul since then. Are there any elements from the 2002 game still remaining, such as level maps, or has the whole game changed?

Pitchford: The game has changed completely and multiple times throughout its development. The character, the intent and the premise have persisted, though. Also persisting are some of the designs, which are as strong (or stronger) today than they were when first conceived. However, none of the content from 2002 would be in this game – any content that is similar would’ve been recreated several times between then and now.

BT: Is Gearbox's role to basically finish the work by 3D Realms, or are you adding any distinct touches of your own too?


Pitchford: I can’t say there hasn’t been any editorial influence or creative work there, but it’s most fair for me to make it clear that this game is the game that 3D Realms created. I have dedicated our studio to making sure that the vision from 3D Realms is finally delivered to all of us gamers who have waited for so long.

BT: Should gamers expect any graphical enhancements in the PC version?

Pitchford: Assuming you have the hardware for it, the PC version will be the best looking version of the game.

BT: There was a lot of talk about Duke Nukem Forever's Meqon physics engine in 2005, but gaming physics and hardware have moved on a lot since then. As Meqon is now incorporated into PhysX, is the PC version likely to include GPU-accelerated PhysX on Nvidia graphics cards, or are you looking at a different approach to physics now?


Pitchford: I really don’t want to talk about the technicalities of it since what matters is the entertainment experience, but I will say that I’m very proud of the volume and quality of interactivity in Duke Nukem Forever. It definitely goes farther than pretty much everything else out there in terms of being able to interact and play with the things you find in the world.

BT: Have you had any contact with the guys at 3D Realms since you took over? If so, what's the relationship between the two developers been like? Has 3D Realms offered any input into the game since you took over?

Pitchford: Of course. George Broussard and Scott Miller are guys I’ve known for as long as I’ve been a professional game maker, and I think it’s fairer to say that they sold the brand and the game to me, rather than saying that I bought it from them. We communicate regularly, and the influence they bring carries tremendous weight. I hope that they're interested in collaborating for many years to come.

Duke Nukem Forever will be published on the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by Activision on 6 May, 2011.