Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford has moved to reassure gamers that the multiplayer component its anticipated ass-kicking, bubble-gum chewing blaster Duke Nukem Forever is in good hands.
For all the hullabaloo surrounding The Duke’s eagerly awaited return this May, the multiplayer aspect has remained firmly under wraps. However, Pitchford revealed to Eurogamer that it’s ticking along nicely, courtesy of a little help from the chaps at Piranha.
"Multiplayer is something where, in order to ‘get’ it, we need to figure out a way that people can feel it, because multiplayer’s something you need to play," said Pitchford.
"You can get some things across in screenshots but not really. So we’re kinda struggling with how we expose it so people understand what’s there. The proof is in the pudding so to speak, so I don’t want to talk about it too much."
For those out of the loop, Piranha cut its teeth on a number of PSP-based outings, including Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, Need for Speed: Undercover, as well as the PC actioner Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza.
Elsewhere, while Pitchford neglected to spill the beans on any specific details regarding multiplayer, he did reveal the team’s philosophy behind the feature is pretty clear-cut: it’s all about good old fashioned fun.
"Don’t worry about it, we remember why we played Duke and part of that was wanting to get online and shrink you and break you into ice cubes, and so on, and the correct multiplayer experience for Duke Nukem Forever has to pay those things off," he commented.
"Some of the interesting questions are what it does beyond that, and that’ll be exciting for people to discover and I’m really looking forward to that.”
"There’s no aim with a multiplayer game like Duke to try to be the next competitive platform – it’s about entertainment, it’s about fun, it’s about getting together with your buddies to talk shit, and using these unique tools to be the best on the battlefield."