If you thought the Duke Nukem Forever saga was over when 3D Realms and Take-Two settled their legal differences, you were (possibly) wrong. Kotaku is reporting that a build of the fabled shooter is now in Gearbox Software's hands, and the full game will eventually come to market.
Sounds like a long shot--and it feels like it is, considering this is DNF we're talking about, a game that has been in development for over a decade--but apparently this rumor is crashing against some sort of truth. Speaking with Kotaku, Gearbox head honcho Randy Pitchford said that he would be able to "clarify" (the pub's words) this alleged involvement at PAX West in Seattle. He declined direct comment.
Gearbox Studios is the developer of Borderlands and currently working on Aliens: Colonial Marines. It has been connected with rumored high-profile titles before, including a continuation of Halo, a game based on the film Heat, and a Duke Nukem prequel.
Take-Two still owns the publishing rights to DNF, a game it has presumably lost a ton of money on as its development stretched out over eons. And Gearbox and Take-Two have worked together before, most notably with Borderlands.
While I'd like to just shake my head and say "no way" about this rumor, despite Pitchford's weird comment on the matter, this game already has a legacy linked with the strange, so we'll have to wait and see what the truth is on this latest development.