Many thought this day would never arrive. It was a day that many expected lived in lore and was based from a Mayan calendar that nobody took seriously. I’m talking about the final release date for Duke Nukem Forever, obviously, and not the end of the world — which may be the same thing at this point.

This morning, GameInformer exclusively released the date you can finally pick up Duke Nukem’s final chapter.

“Somehow the guys at Game Informer magazine discovered Duke Nukem Forever’s launch date before I did,” joked Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software and executive producer of Duke Nukem Forever. “But I cannot imagine any better video game news source team than Game Informer to reveal the moment of truth for the most inconceivable, incorrigible and inspiring turn around story in the history of the video game industry – the coming of Duke Nukem Forever on May 3, 2011.”

“The moment fans all over the world have been waiting for is almost here,” says Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “May 3, 2011 marks Duke’s return as he unleashes his brash and brutally honest wit on the world. His return is going to be epic and one that will make video gaming history!”

It’s that simple. May 3rd. If you live outside of North America, it’s May 6th, but regardless — the time has finally arrived.