2K Games Dumps PR Company For Threatening Duke Nukem Critics

It seems like pig cops, topless women, and gamers’ wallets won’t be the only casualties of the Duke Nukem Forever saga.

In a brisk e-mail statement, 2K Games’ spokesman Charlie Sinhaseni announced that the publisher has terminated its relationship with The Redner Group in the wake of the PR company’s tweets about punishing outlets for publishing negative reviews about the newly-released shooter.  Those messages, as first reported by Ars Technica, were deleted from the company’s feed, but not before they’d been captured and retweeted by others.

#AlwaysBetOnDuke too many went too far with their reviews…we r reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn’t based on today’s venom

The tweets were later confirmed to have been made by James Redner as he e-mailed a formal apology for his statements to an unspecified number of outlets.  His mea culpa, which can be read in full by clicking the Press Release button below, was not enough to preserve his company’s relationship with 2K Games.  Their full comment on the matter reads:

2K Games does not endorse the comments made by Jim Redner and we can confirm that The Redner Group no longer represents our products. We have always maintained a mutually-respectful working relationship with the press and do not condone his actions in any way.

The first direct sequel to 1996’s Duke Nukem 3D, the long-awaited first person shooter concluded its 15-year development and arrived on store shelves under a cloud of scathing reviews.  Dozens of game journalists have lambasted the game for its lengthy load times, tedious level design, and especially its joyless sense of humor which has repeatedly been highlighted as crass, odious, and belligerent.

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