Hail to the King, Baby! Duke Nukem Lives!

The rumors were true! Gearbox Software has taken over development of Duke Nukem Forever on behalf of Take 2 Interactive, and hope to have the game out sometime in 2011 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The news was officially announced at PAX, the open-to-the-public gaming expo which is taking place as I write this.

Reportedly, Gearbox has been working on Duke Nukem Forever since 2009, after 3D Realms shut down and Take 2 acquired the rights. They’re using all the existing code and assets created by 3D Realms — and some of 3DR’s former employees — and simply finishing it so that it can finally reach players. As the Wall Street Journal reports, Gearbox looks at what its developers are doing as putting together the pieces that 3DR began. “It’s the game it was meant to be,” they say in the article.

Early reports from the show floor at PAX, where a playable demo is available, are extremely positive. I’m eagerly hoping Take 2 will share some official artwork and/or a trailer…

Gearbox certainly knows how to put out a fun game; the company is best known for its underground hit MMO, Borderlands. Overseeing work on the game is a guy named Randy Pitchford, who worked on Duke Nukem 3D long ago, before leaving 3D Realms to found Gearbox Software with some friends.