Duke Nukem Forever (Playstation 3)

Forever is a long time to wait. With an irony that was probably not originally intended, the title Duke Nukem Forever gained a unique notoriety among gamers for the unprecedented duration of its development process, which spanned more than 14 years, from the project's original announcement in spring of 1997 to the game's retail release in 2011. The game has been rebuilt on at least three different engines, and nearly all of the original content has been scrapped or rewritten at some point in the creative process. Publishing rights have changed hands more than once, and three different studios have worked on development, although they have a common lineage. Development began under Duke Nukem series creator 3D Realms, the better-known branch of Apogee Software, and continued there for over a decade. Following a 2009 legal dispute between 3D Realms and publisher 2K Games, development continued at Triptych Games, which was independently formed by a small group of former 3D Realms employees who wished to carry on their work. Building upon existing assets and ideas, the final edition of the game was developed by Gearbox Software, creator of well-received shooters such as Brothers in Arms and Borderlands. Gearbox co-founder Randy Pitchford is also a former 3D Realms employee, who worked on the series' definitive Duke Nukem 3D.