Long-delayed Duke Nukem videogame hits in June

First-person shooter game "Duke Nukem Forever" has been a work in progress since 1997, missing a slew of release dates before 2K put it in the hands of Gearbox Software developers last year for completion.

It is on track for US release on June 10 and international availability beginning June 14.

"'Duke Nukem Forever' is the game that was once thought to be unshippable, and yet here we are, on the precipice of history," said 2K president Christoph Hartmann.

"Today marks an amazing day in the annals of gaming lore, the day where the legend of 'Duke Nukem Forever' is finally complete and it takes that final step towards becoming a reality."

The videogame's excruciatingly protracted creation process has made it prime fodder for jokes in the industry.

The upcoming title is a sequel to a "Duke Nukem 3D" videogame developed by 3D Realms studio that sold more than three million copies after its release in late 1996.

The blockbuster game franchise was light on storyline, with players battling aliens, monsters and mutants in an urban Earth setting.

The sequel's journey to store shelves is "legendary," said 3D Realms creative director George Broussard.

"It's an epic tale of four game development studios that banded together and did the unthinkable and shipped the unshippable," he continued.

2K said "Forever" will be "boiling over-the-top with irreverent humor, catchy one-liners that will make your mama blush, and frantic, bone-shaking action sequences that will simultaneously rock your world and neighbors' walls."

The videogame, which features a notoriously unrefined character and a "mature" rating, is tailored for play on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles as well as personal computers powered by Windows software.

(c) 2011 AFP