3D Realms and Interceptor Entertainment will release an isometric action role-playing game called Bombshell for PC and PlayStation 4 in Q1 2015, a new IP born from the Gearbox Duke Nukem lawsuit.
The Unreal Engine-powered Bombshell centres on Shelly "Bombshell" Harrison, a bomb disposal expert turned mercenary for hire who likes "kicking ass, motorcycles, kicking ass on motor cycles." Spanning across four different planets, players take on the role of Bombshell and are tasked with rescuing the president and her people from a "maniac's mechanical monstrosity."
The bubble gum and sunglasses-hating Shelly was a Colonel in the Global Defence Force and then became a bomb disposal specialist, where she lost her arm and team in an explosion called the "Washington incident." The protagonist accepted a job a private military contractor and was given a mechanical arm "built from unidentified remnants discovered in the aftermath of the Washington incident."
"Looking to get revenge on those responsible for the incident, she accepted. With this new arm, Shelly took on the name of 'Bombshell' and vowed to restore both her name and her career," the description reads. The game features ten weaponized arm modifications, experience points, upgrades, side quests and non-linear levels. Bombshell will also launch with modding tools.
Interceptor Entertainment first teased the game last month with the launch of website NoGumNeeded.com. The website was thought to be a hint at a reconditioned version of a Duke Nukem game that instigated a lawsuit earlier this year. 3D Realms and Interceptor Entertainment had teased a new game in February called Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction, describing it as "an isometric action role-playing game for PC and PlayStation 4."
Duke Nukem Forever developer Gearbox Software, who bought the Duke Nukem brand from 3D Realms in 2010, then filed suit against the companies for their "efforts to illegally exploit Gearbox's intellectual property rights in the Duke Nukem video game franchise." According to the complaint, Mass Destruction will "make unlawful use of Gearbox's IP."
Bombshell's announcement states that the lawsuit gave 3D Realms and Interceptor Entertainment an opportunity to create a new IP. According to the companies, Bombshell is new franchise with an expansive universe who they have "great long-term goals and ambitions for."
"Lawsuits take time, and are often a long, drawn-out process. Meanwhile, we wanted to be productive — our creative team couldn't wait around for the issue to be resolved," the statement on the official website reads. "Ultimately, we saw it as the opportunity to create our own intellectual property, and Bombshell was born. So far, it's been a blast.
"It's impossible to say what will happen in regards to our previous project. It might return, it might not. We want to make great games without sacrificing our integrity, and Bombshell allows us to do that beautifully."
