Randy 
Pitchford is not your traditional video game executive. The president and CEO of Gearbox Software is a shrewd businessman, a skilled poker player, and a former magician.
But the man behind games like Borderlands and Aliens: Colonial Marines is also a bit of weirdo, as evidenced by the fact that he just dropped $25,000 for the ponytail of magician/comedian/dancer/apprentice Penn Jillette.
If 
Randy Pitchford’s gut is right, you have Gearbox Software co-founder Brian Martel to thank for this summer’s movie Prometheus.
Several years ago, Martel sat down with Ridley Scott to talk about Blade Runner and Alien. As the two discussed the landmark science fiction films, Scott brought out the original, by-then-dust covered storyboards to Alien and began to animatedly discuss the franchise and his love for it.
First announced during the Clinton administration, it
is a videogame title that has been declared dead time and again, yet always manages to come back. After what seemed a devastating (and final) blow in 2009—the disbanding of the game’s development team and a titanic legal battle—the game has surfaced again.
Now planned for a 2011 release on the PC, Microsoft Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation 3, “Duke Nukem Forever” was on display at this year’s Penny Arcade Expo on Friday. The 150,000 attendees got to play it themselves, something most gamers thought would never happen.
On Friday morning, Gearbox Software and 2K Games
dropped a bomb on gamers and industry alike at Seattle’s Penny Arcade Expo. Not only was Duke Nukem Forever alive once again, it was playable. On Sunday, they dropped another one.
3D Realms, the company that gave birth to the cigar chompin’, alien ass-kicking muscleman, had sold the rights to Gearbox. The story behind that is nearly as winding as Duke’s march to retail has been.
Chris Morris: Journalist 