Gearbox settles Duke Nukem music lawsuit

4.1

Gearbox has resolved yet another load of legal drama related to the shooter series.

Gearbox Software has settled a legal dispute with Duke Nukem 3D composer Bobby Prince.

In a press release, the studio said that it had settled the matter, but didn’t go into any detail about what this involved.

This follows Prince filing a lawsuit against Gearbox in 2019 over the studio using his music “without obtaining a license” for the 2016 release, Duke Nukem 3D World Tour. Earlier this year, Gearbox – who bought the Duke Nukem IP from Apogee Software parent company 3D Realms in 2010 – sued the franchise’s former owners for not delivering the property “free and clear.”

In other words, Gearbox thought it owned everything related to Duke Nukem, but it turns out that 3D Realms and Apogee didn’t actually own the music for those games.

“There’s been a lot of interest about my lawsuit and Gearbox. I’m glad to announce today that the matter with Gearbox is resolved,” said Prince. “After productive discussions, we have reached an agreement that allows my music and sound effects to remain in Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour.

“I appreciate Randy Pitchford and Gearbox for their collaboration, partnership, and understanding. I’m thankful that we can put this behind us and move forward.”

Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford added: “Bobby Prince has been and remains a valuable contributor to the Gearbox family. We appreciate Bobby and his team working with us to clear up the misunderstandings and confusion. He’s an incredible artist and we value his contributions to our works.”

This isn’t the first time that Gearbox has had to get all legal over Duke Nukem. Back in 2014, the developer sued Apogee’s Interceptor Entertainment for making a new game in the series – Mass Destruction – without its permission.