A rumor has surfaced saying that Duke Nukem Forever may still be in development at Gearbox Software, the studio behind Borderlands, the Brothers in Arms series and Aliens: Colonial Marines. Randy Pitchford has declined to comment on the information.

Sources who have chosen to remain anonymous have revealed to Kotaku the Gearbox Software is working on Duke Nukem Forever, picking up wherever 3D Realms left off when the project was canned last year.

This is the second game in the Duke Nukem series that seems to be in development at Gearbox Software, as earlier this year it was revealed that another project called Duke Begins existed.

One of Kotaku's sources also said that a playable demo of the troubled Duke Nukem Forever would be released later this year.

Randy Pitchford, the chief executive officer of Gearbox, has refused to comment on the issue and said that he would be able to clarify the relationship between his company and the Duke Nukem franchise at this year's Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle.

George Broussard, the head of the Duke Nukem Forever development at 3D Realms, has not even responded to Kotaku's request for his take on the situation.

Duke Nukem Forever has been announced 13 years ago and it was announced last year that it was put on indefinite hold by Take-Two, the publisher of the title.

A lawsuit between 3D Realms and Take-Two Interactive followed shortly after, with the publisher accusing the studio of a contractual breach. It was eventually settled off-court in May 2010.

Duke Nukem Forever is supposed to be a first person shooter that means to expand on the action and the humor that are hallmarks of the franchise. It seems the best known vaporware title in the video games industry is back and may yet see a release.