The "well-known developer" behind the recently unearthed Duke Nukem series spin-off Duke Begins has been named in court documents. Borderlands and Brothers In Arms developer Gearbox Software was reportedly tasked with developing the title for Take-Two.

The Dallas, Texas-based developer was named in a counterclaim from publisher Take-Two Interactive, as discovered by Shacknews. Gearbox's development of Duke Begins was tied to $2.5 million cash advance from Take-Two intended to fund development of 3D Realms' Duke Nukem Forever, said to still be ongoing in some capacity.

Originally, Duke Begins was slated for a mid-2010 release, as part of the agreement, with development starting sometime in 2007.

We wonder if that Duke Nukem title was the "huge" release that Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford hyped last year.

'Duke Begins' Developer Outed in DNF Docs [Shacknews]

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