[mrsunshines]

No $30M Offer For Duke Nukem IP, Says Scott

Man I wish someone had offered them to buy the IP a while back. Now instead 3drealms (George and Scott) will have to face court hearings that will probably cost them more if they had finished the game at all.

[Kathy]

Quote

Oh and I love that video of Joe's daughter running around in circles around the symbol. She is so cute !

Holy smokes! That was so ADORABLE! And I don't like children.


Btw, looked at google maps. Not a bad looking building, I say. Cozy.

[Jezza]

Personally, I find it very hard to believe that 3DR have run out of money... There was $40mill+ from the sale of the Max Payne IP and there's the license money from the Duke Trilogy games. While a lot of these theories are a little out there, there has to be something more to it that this.

[Kathy]

Some of those money might have gone to finance the creation of Radar Group.

[hornoxe]

Jezza, on May 17 2009, 03:07 PM, said:

There was $40mill+ from the sale of the Max Payne IP

it was a total value of $34 million according to this, and Remedy got their share of which we no idea how big that was (50%? 60%? 70%? we just don't know so guessing how much money 3DR got is pointless).

[Babe]

What happened to the money from Duke Nukem 3d XBLA ? Wasn't it a top seller for sometimes ?

[Redcard]

Babe, on May 17 2009, 07:59 AM, said:

What happened to the money from Duke Nukem 3d XBLA ? Wasn't it a top seller for sometimes ?

I don't think DN3D XBLA was that big a seller..

Just around 200,000 units, if that. $2,000,000 gross.

[hornoxe]

hornoxe, on May 14 2009, 09:43 PM, said:

Ramen4ever, on May 14 2009, 09:40 PM, said:

I thought GT interactive was going to publish first. Then Infogrames bought GT interactive followed by Take 2 buying Infogrames and GoD branch of Take-2 getting the publishing rights until that branch closed and finally Take-2 just keeping it.

Confusing.. I know. Still, point being that it's strange to have a non-funding game developer. They probably should have hammered out a new contract somehow. too bad.

Generally the best publisher deal you can make is one that does _not_ involve ongoing funding, ie. if you can pay for it yourself and just let the publisher handle distribution and marketing you will get higher royalty percentages and better conditions.

If you make a deal with on-going funding you'll get lower royalties, and certain minimum number of sales have to be met before you start getting cash etc, so that the publisher get all the money back the paid you.

Just a little followup to the above, I came across an older article with more detailed info and actual numbers from George, as of June 2006

George said:

"We're making the game. It'll be done when it's done. We've funded 99.999% of the game (aside from a very, very small advance from GT Interactive, years ago, before Take 2 bought the game from them). It's our risk, our necks and our gamble. Under the deal we should be earning royalties from about unit 30,000 or so (that's a real small number)."

So the minimum sales I mentioned was/is 30k for them (which for a game like DNF is practically nothing), if it were a deal where the publisher funded developement that number would be signifficantly higher (aswell as lower royalty %).

[Jezza]

hornoxe, on May 17 2009, 06:35 AM, said:

it was a total value of $34 million according to this, and Remedy got their share of which we no idea how big that was (50%? 60%? 70%? we just don't know so guessing how much money 3DR got is pointless).

I remember reading on the 3DR forums somewhere it was either 43 or 48... maybe it was 34 after Remedy got theirs?

Edit: It was $48Mill

[hornoxe]

Jezza, on May 17 2009, 05:27 PM, said:

I remember reading on the 3DR forums somewhere it was either 43 or 48... maybe it was 34 after Remedy got theirs?

since only $10 million was cash, the rest stock options, that $34 number was the current market value, perhaps the stock rose and they got the 40+ in the end, but that still the total value, of which Remedy got their part.


edit: for all we know 3DR was still holding on to some of those stock options as money reserve, and with the financial crisis their money reserves were suddenly reduced a lot, but that's pure speculation, I don't have the slightest clue about how getting paid in shares of stock works and especially not if they still had the or sold them long ago, nor do I know how much T2 shares were affected by the crisis.

[kpl]

My theory:

George isn't the perfectionist that everyone seems to think he is. He's been slackin off all these years just enjoying the good life and thinking he's some rock star (think "John Romero in a fat suit") while DNF development was a low priority. He's not some hardcore Duke fan wanting to make the best game ever. He's just another game developer that lost his focus. Watch the 2001 trailer, you can see the game has great art direction and classic Duke attitude. Compare that too the leaked screenshots that have surfaced, and they look like a bland consolised FPS. The game in the 2001 trailer is the game they originally wanted to make but just couldn't pull of. So they started working on the newest version of DNF. Planing on just releasing a generic shooter and getting it out the door. Later coming to the realization that if the game actually did get released they'd be finished for good in the game industry, can you say "DUKEKATANA"? Solution: Fake financial trouble, close down 3DR, put DNF on hold, release some Duke games on other platforms under a the Apogee name and then in a few years hire some other developer to finish DNF for you. That way all the heat is off you. If the game flops people will place blame on someone else. Smells like another Prey scenario to me.

[Altered Reality]

Quote

Smells like another Prey scenario to me.

I really hope it is, because Prey eventually came out and it was good.

[Kristian Joensen]

Jezza, on May 17 2009, 04:27 PM, said:

I remember reading on the 3DR forums somewhere it was either 43 or 48... maybe it was 34 after Remedy got theirs?

Edit: It was $48Mill

Jezza, the details are as follows:

1. $10 Million in cash
2. Around 1 Million Take Two shares
3. $2 Million in cash upon Max Payne 2 going gold
4. $2 Million in cash upon Max Payne 2 selling 400,000 copies
5. $2 Million in cash upon Max Payne 2 selling 800,000 copies
6. $2 Million in cash upon Max Payne 2 selling 1.2 Million copies.

All of this to be shared 50/50 between Remedy and 3D Realms

Edit:

From the agreement:

Quote

© Payment of the Purchase Price. The Purchasers shall pay the Sellers the purchase price for the Assets by delivering to the Sellers (i) at Closing, one or more certificates representing Nine Hundred and Sixty Nine Thousand Nine Hundred and Thirty Two Thousand (969,932) restricted shares (the "Shares") of common stock of Take-Two, par value $.01 per share; provided, however, that such Shares shall be subject to the Lock-Up Agreement , (ii) at Closing, Ten Million ($10,000,000) U.S. dollars paid by Maxcorp by wire transfer (the "Cash Component") to accounts designated by the Sellers and (iii) up to Eight Million ($8,000,000) U.S. dollars in cash or immediately available funds in four equal installments of Two Million ($2,000,000) U.S. dollars pursuant to Section 2(d) below (the "Incentive Payments", and together with the payments under subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above, the "Purchase Price"). The Purchase Price includes all amounts due and payable to third parties and the Sellers (including all advances due and payable by Purchasers to Remedy pursuant to the Development Agreement and Take-Two Liabilities) in connection with the purchase of all of the Assets and, other than the payment of the Purchase Price, no additional payments shall be made by the Purchasers to the Sellers or any third party. The Purchasers shall deliver directly to each of Remedy and Apogee (x) a certificate representing 50% of the Shares (each of Remedy and Apogee shall receive a certificate for 484,966 Shares) and (y) cash representing 50% of the Cash Component ($5,000,000 to each of Remedy and Apogee). Similarly, all Incentive Payments shall be split 50/50 and delivered and paid directly to each of Remedy and Apogee accordingly.

(d) Incentive Payments.

(i) The Incentive Payments shall be due and payable and shall be paid by the Purchasers (allocated between them in proportion to the percentages set forth in Section 2(h)) to the Sellers as follows:

(A) $2,000,000 U.S. dollars on the Gold Master Acceptance Date (as defined in the Development Agreement) (such payment being referred to as the "Gold Master Date Payment"), but, except as provided below, in no event later than October 1, 2003 and

( (1) $2,000,000 U.S. dollars ("First Incentive Payment") on the date when the Purchasers, in good faith, have determined that 400,000 units, in the aggregate, of Max Payne 2 have been Sold (as defined below), (2) $2,000,000 U.S. dollars on the date upon which Purchasers, in good faith, have determined that 800,000 units, in the aggregate, of Max Payne 2 have been Sold, and (3) $2,000,000 U.S. dollars on the date upon which the Purchasers, in good faith, have determined that 1,200,000 units (each of the sale of 400,000 units, 800,000 units and 1,200,000 units, each a "Threshold Unit Amount"), in the aggregate, of Max Payne 2 have been Sold;

[Jezza]

Strange it was reported so high, then... back in 2002, TTWO shares were about $17... so we're only looking at about $17 million for 3DR at the end of the split with Remedy.

[BxB402]

The thing I liked about Prey was the atmosphere and mood of the game. Plus getting Art Bell to record a Coast to Coast episode to fit in with the game was awesome. I love C2C.

[Alhexx]

Even if 3DRealms got "only" 17M $ from Max Payne, Scott Miller said in an interview almost exactly 3 years ago, that they have put 7.5M $ into DNF until 2006.
So that's less than 10M $ for almost 10 years of development...

[BxB402]

I wonder if they are getting much from Wolf3D being on XBLA soon too. Hmm

[Sinisterambo]

I read a comment on shacknews that states that Come Get Some and Hail to the King, Baby are registered trademarks by 3D Realms/Apogee.

Is that legal since they were from Army of Darkness?

[BxB402]

Sinisterambo, on May 17 2009, 12:54 PM, said:

I read a comment on shacknews that states that Come Get Some and Hail to the King, Baby are registered trademarks by 3D Realms/Apogee.

Is that legal since they were from Army of Darkness?

It is if Raimi failed to trademark them. Which I assume he failed to do. Sucks for Ash.

[Sinisterambo]

BxB402, on May 17 2009, 07:06 PM, said:

It is if Raimi failed to trademark them. Which I assume he failed to do. Sucks for Ash.

Thanks. This reminds me of the post when I said I had a dream and they cancelled DNF and announced DN: Inferno.

[hornoxe]

Alhexx, on May 17 2009, 07:31 PM, said:

Even if 3DRealms got "only" 17M $ from Max Payne, Scott Miller said in an interview almost exactly 3 years ago, that they have put 7.5M $ into DNF until 2006.
So that's less than 10M $ for almost 10 years of development...

maybe he wasn't counting in his and George's salary into that, office/building lease etc., to make the number sound nicer, but all those other expenses still have to be paid even if not directly DNF related per se

[hornoxe]

Jezza, on May 17 2009, 06:52 PM, said:

Strange it was reported so high, then... back in 2002, TTWO shares were about $17... so we're only looking at about $17 million for 3DR at the end of the split with Remedy.

I see they dropped to 10 and below after the financial meltdown, if they were still holding on to some of that stock then that wouldn't have been too fun

[Zaemz]

It kinda sucks that we can only speculate until we hear anything further from a primary source. To get so far(t) with a game...

I wonder if any other publishing or dev companies have been interested in possibly contacting Apogee Software Ltd or Take-Two.

If I were a pub/dev company and doing alright, I'd be interested in purchasing either the publishing or IP rights. Since it's so far along, wouldn't you think there would be some money to be made?

You chop each pound off and sell it for $1 mil, that's $800 mil.

[ShXIII]

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=SNONHpblaNE
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=CaFXlxN_mrc

Posted these on 3drealms but i wanted to share here.

Hahaha

[Splat]

http://www.youtube.c...?v=NLkUU20i-Rs

Duke nukem forevveerrrr!

[Micki!]

The part at the end actually made me laugh...

[zwieback]

hey fanboys, take it easy

dukenukem forever is coming out one way or another.
If george was acting like a rockdiva or not, well, that's his choice - because it's his company (yes 3drealms still exists - sort of).

For me, 3drealms and especially george was the representation for dukenukem forever.

For example Georges quotes on the right side of duke4.net - i think you have to admit, that we all like that selfish bastard. So don't fuck with him, because if i you fuck with george, you fuck with duke. Don't forget who invented duke - and don't tell me that this guy wasn't willing to make the best duke game ever. i mean look at the concept art from the 2005(or was it 6) version - those monsters sucked (at least for duke they weren't duke enough). so they started over again.
That's real dedication to something. i deeply respect that. i think those people are artists who were fucked in the ass by business.

I don't blame anybody. Our gamestudio had a verbal contract (is that correct english? ) with _BIGEVILPUBLISHER_ (yes, the one and evil - and yes, i heard it with my own ears), which was days later declined - almost the same story.
but what will you do in such a situation, when you're running out of money.. well we've found another solution, because we were lucky. 3drealms wasn't
But Mr. Big Business fucks you in the ass from time to time. lesson learned - end of story. that's why i don't jump on the blametrain so fast. but have fun there.

[Thriller]

This one is actually awesome.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=nrxXcTWq31o

Part funny, but last 10-15 seconds is actually very duke and very cool.

[Babe]

If you really want to see a youtube clip of relevance, see this video here, and not fan made videos

http://www.youtube.c...fg&feature=fvst

and listen to the conversations that kaes place between Jace Hall and George himself between 54s and 1:16s. I am sure after seeing this, every George supporter will agree how incompetent and slack he is.

But anyway guys please try to put the focus back on the topic"3D Realms is shutting down" and what consequences it may have on DNF. And as for you tube, no point in putting links up for for angry fans. Yes I am angry too, but whats the point of watching a video of another angry fan like myself. Makes me more angry ( and a tad sad ).

[motionblur]

Babe, on May 18 2009, 02:08 AM, said:

http://www.youtube.c...fg&feature=fvst

and listen to the conversations that kaes place between Jace Hall and George himself between 54s and 1:16s. I am sure after seeing this, every George supporter will agree how incompetent and slack he is.

Oh come ON! That's staged. Do you really think this is real?