Duke Nukem Forever promised so much.
Announced in 1997 in the wake of Duke Nukem 3D's incredible commercial and critical success, it had the potential to be the definitive FPS game of its generation – but, as we all know, it didn't exactly pan out that way.
The game was subject to multiple delays, engine changes, and poor overall planning. It eventually moved from 3D Realms to Gearbox Software, which completed it in 2011 with assistance from Triptych Games and Piranha Games. With a development cycle of 14 years, it holds the Guinness World Record for the longest time taken to complete a game's development.
BlueSky user weasel, of the inept nine-iron has helpfully reminded us that this week, Duke Nukem Forever officially became 'one Duke Nukem Forever development cycle old':
If that doesn't keenly bring home the unstoppable and swift passage of time, I don't know what does.
Duke's been in the news a lot recently, beyond odd anniversaries; back in June, Rockstar's cancelled PS2 take on the character appeared online, and in the same month, Hollywood producer Adi Shanker announced that he had secured the animated rights to Duke and is planning something big.
We've also seen the character's previous adventures become playable on the Evercade family of systems via not one but two collections.