Apogee Software returns, announces Duke Nukem trilogy

Deep Silver and Apogee Software announced today an agreement to co-publish a Duke Nukem Trilogy for the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. Apogee, who developed the original Duke Nukem and its sequel, say this holy trinity of new episodes (Critical Mass, Chain Reaction, and Proving Grounds) will be released sequentially beginning in the summer of 2009. This publishing deal brought to in part by...an exclusive license agreement with 3D Realms Entertainment (Apogee's software publishing division) and MachineWorks Northwest LLC.

The announcement also marks the return of Apogee to the game industry, who haven't really been up to anything (unless you include Duke Nukem Forever) since making the first two Duke games in '91 and '93, or Realms of Chaos in '95.

"We were seeking a strong global publishing partner to herald the eagerly-anticipated return of Duke Nukem," said Terry Nagy, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Apogee. "We have indeed found that partner in Deep Silver."

"Since we launched the Deep Silver label, we've aggressively pursued the best properties to bring to market," said Dr. Klemens Kundratitz, CEO of Koch Media. "Apogee has produced some of the greatest franchises in the history of gaming, none of them more popular than Duke Nukem."

Deep Silver is exhibiting at E3 currently; whether or not we'll see anything from the trilogy remains to be seen. Update: A trailer can be found here.