The lawsuit for the rights to the Duke Nukem franchise is now officially over, with Gearbox officially holding the rights to the Duke Nukem franchise. The lawsuit was filed in February 2014 when 3D Realms and Interceptor were teasing a new Duke Nukem game. Interceptor and 3D Realms claimed they retained the right to develop the tentatively titled Duke Nukem Survivor / Duke Nukem Mass Destruction and that the trademark for “Duke Nukem” was never assigned to Gearbox, instead remaining the sole property of 3D Realms.

“When Interceptor acquired a license to develop ‘Duke Nukem Mass Destruction’ (‘Duke Nukem Survivor’) from 3D Realms, we did so in good faith and were not aware of any conflict,” said 3D Realms CEO Mike Nielsen. “We never intended to cause any harm to Gearbox or Duke, which is why we immediately ceased development after Gearbox reached out. To secure the future of Duke, 3D Realms has agreed with Gearbox that a single home serves the IP best. And as big Duke fans, we’re excited to see what Gearbox has in store for the ‘King.’ As for our own games, we’re eager to complete development of the ‘Bombshell’ game and get it in the hands of our fans.”

Gearbox Software’s statement confirms the developer has “voluntarily ended its litigation against Interceptor Entertainment and 3D Realms, and wishes to keep the terms of its settlement confidential except to confirm that Gearbox Software is the full and rightful owner of the Duke Nukem franchise.”

Now that the lawsuit is over, do you think this is a sign of good things to come for Duke Nukem? I think we can all hope we don’t have a repeat performance of Duke Nukem Forever. In any case, let us know what you guys think in the comments below and for all things gaming, stay right here to New Gamer Nation.

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