Duke Nukem Forever 2001 Gameplay Build Appears Online
2011’s Duke Nukem Forever was famous in development hell for 15 years before release. The turbulent cycle that began in 1997 spawned several builds and demos by the original developer 3D Realms. Today, a video of one of the earliest versions of the game appeared online.
As discovered by GameSpot, a 4Chan user known as x0r uploaded a minute 20 second worth of gameplay footage from the game’s 2001 demo. The authenticity of the video was half confirmed on Twitter by George Broussard, co-creator of Duke Nukem. During his long development career, he worked at Forever as one of the lead designers for 3D Realms. According to Broussard, he doesn’t know how the footage came back, but he shattered hopes for a complete, playable build by describing this demo as “a barely populated test level.”
Yes, the leak looks real. No, I’m not really interested in talking about it or retreading a painful past. You should heavily temper expectations. There is no real game to play. Just a smattering of barely populated test levels. I have no knowledge who leaked this.
— George Broussard (@georgebsocial) May 9, 2022
However, the leaker claims to have access to the demo’s source code and plans to release it along with a level editor sometime in June.
The demo shows Duke breaking his signature while slashing an alien-infected SWAT soldier at a strip club. You’ll find an early version of the Self-Meter that will appear in the final game (if it basically functions as a shield). The video also shows a quick-toggle weapon menu that lets you swap gear on the fly.
Another short clip shows a first-person motorcycle ride part. A clutter-free clip is just that.
Duke Nukem Forever received poor reviews at the time of release (giving it a 6.75 out of 10) and is the last Duke Nukem game to date. Unlucky titles are ultimately best known for having one of the longest development cycles in gaming history. The only meaningful sign of life the series has shown in recent years was the 2018 release of the Duke Nukem movie starring John Cena. But that too, assuming it’s still happening, has quietly disappeared into self-development hell.
