Randy Pitchford on why he rescued Duke from his development limbo
Speaking to Gamasutra, Randy Pitchford shared why he decided to swoop in and save the game that was heading for the grave after spending years stuck in development limbo.
“Duke Nukem was one of the formative titles in the first-person shooter genre,” Pitchford said. “The game brought to the table alternate ways to engage in combat: trip wires and pipe bombs. Pacing between action and puzzle solving. These things become the rulebook that we have all been evolving and iterating over the years.”
Many gamers feel that the first person shooter genre has somewhat stagnated in recent years due to the annualisation and domination of the Call of Duty brand. Pitchford shares these views, and feels that a title like Duke Nukem Forever is needed to revitalise the genre:
“If you boil down Call of Duty et al, there’s nothing more than a string of reaction tests going on there. Every test is a complication on that simple mechanic. But Duke Nukem always had more than that. There’s the chance to outsmart your opponents, for sure. But more than that, I love the non-sequitors in the series. Just silly set pieces that are kind of throwaway. Half-Life 2 had that kind of thing. But it’s faded from the medium more recently. I think Duke Nukem Forever has many little things like this to remind us how great that kind of experience is. “
It’s impossible to talk about Duke Nukem without discussing the controversy that surrounds the violent, sexual and intentionally offensive nature of the game. Rather than seeing the element of controversy as a potential stumbling block to sales, Pitchford sees it as one of Duke’s many unique character defining traits:
“When we think about Duke: he is such an interesting guy, he is nothing like me at all. He has the biggest ego in the world. In his universe everyone loves him. He is super rich and crazy. He just kicks ass. It’s surprisingly fresh to have a guy turn up like that who doesn’t give a crap.”
Pitchford also believes that Duke as a character is forgivable because within the realms of fantasy anything goes:
“Before games existed we played cops and robbers and would be horribly creative. All of us had this experience: that is fantasy. Runs the full spectrum from unicorns to the most extreme situations. That is where heroes are born. I think it’s OK to make games anywhere along that spectrum.”
Pitchford clearly has a deep enthusiasm for Duke Nukem Forever, and he is very much aware that it is his enthusiasm and the enthusiasm of the many developers throughout the years that have allowed this project to finally reach completion:
“People gave up significant portions of their lives for this project. The end credits list is extensive and includes names that have gone on to work at Valve, or create the Uncharted games. Duke Nukem Forever is a part of our industry’s history. It’s going to be an amazing feeling to see this game ship.”
Duke Nukem Forever is scheduled to release on June 14 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
