“Always bet on Duke” is something magazine writers would often use as the review strapline for a good Duke Nukem game, but seeing as there hasn’t been one of them for ages, I thought I’d dust it off and use it to open this article. (I don’t think it quite works here, but I’m too far down the rabbithole to change it now.)
I’m mis-appropriating ancient video game quotes because the Duke is being kicked off GOG.com soon, thanks to the rights to his games being bought by someone else. That someone else is Gearbox, and GOG say they’re “in talks with the new rightsholders to bring [the games back] as swiftly as possible”. But until they work out a deal, Duke’s games will be gone from GOG, from December 31.
That’s only in a few days’ time, but if you were planning on picking up Duke Nukem 1 and 2, Manhattan Project, pinball title Balls of Steel, and of course Duke Nukem 3D, don’t worry: they’re currently on sale for chump change. You can buy them all as a bundle for 90% off, or individually for 75% off, until December 31. At which point Duke will be binned from the GOG catalogue (er, until they work out a deal to bring him back).
You will of course be able to keep playing the games; they just won’t show up on the store.