Like a phoenix from the ashes, Duke Nukem Forever may rise yet again! Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. The latest rumors surrounding The Duke suggest that Gearbox Software has taken on the DNF project that was famously botched by the now defunct 3D Realms.

Kotaku has reported that Take-Two Interactive let them know as recently as yesterday that they do still hold the publishing rights for Duke Nukem Forever. Gearbox, developer of last year’s awesome Borderlands title, is supposedly working on DNF right now and rumors even suggest that we could see a playable demo by year’s end!

I for one would love to see this. Duke Nukem is a gaming icon and it would be nothing short of glorious for the thirteen years of anticipation to culminate in a fantastic release.

Hail to the king, baby.