An original gameplay build of Duke Nukem Forever from 21 years ago has somehow surfaced online - and it looks like it's going to be released soon in some form or fashion.
duke nukem forever steam
The build, according to a report by GameInformer, seems to be on the possession of a 4Chan user who only goes by the name x0r - who also claimed to own the build's original source code. A 1-minute 20-second slice of the demo was uploaded to the YouTube channel danail, which you can watch below:
So far, the video has racked up over 16k views at the time of this writing. In it, you can clearly see the gunplay at work with a handful of the game's features such as its weapon systems being showcased. It shows the titular character going on a rampage in what looks to be a strip club, seamlessly switching weapons on the fly while cracking his iconic cheesy 80s action star lines.
In the build, there's a clear indication of an early version of the Ego meter, which appeared in the final game and also works as a shield.
For those who might think that the build is fake (it purportedly is the original build intended for E3 2001) however, you might be mistaken. That's because former Duke Nukem Forever producer George Broussard has said himself that it looks authentic, as reported by Polygon.
Broussard tweeted about the leak, but also made it clear that it doesn't bring back fond memories for him, for obvious reasons:
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
Aside from that, he also mentioned that he has no idea how this build got leaked. Either way, the leaker has mentioned that they plan to release the build's source code, as well as the editor for the build itself, next month (via PCGamer). The reason for doing so is still not remotely clear.
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The Sad Saga Of Duke Nukem Forever
For the unaware, Duke Nukem Forever has gained infamy for being one of the worst examples of video game development hell. And what an example it was.
duke nukem forever steam
Development on the game originally started way back in 1996. From then on, it spent a total of 15 years in development hell, finally releasing in 2011 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. It managed a paltry Mixed review score on Steam, as per its store page.
According to Broussard (via Eurogamer), the reason for the insanely long delay was simple: OG developer 3D Realms spent too much time trying to change game engines during development. He also vehemently denied that the game took too long to make because they were trying to "perfect" it, instead admitting to so many development issues.
He had this to say in an interview with the now-defunct Maximum PC magazine:
"I wish there was an easy or dramatic answer for what took so long but there just isn't. It was just never ready. We had lots of development issues along the way. It wasn't a quest for perfection as some silly article implied."
3D Realms eventually shut down in 2009, with development moving onto Gearbox Studios. It was them who finally managed to release the game in what Broussard describes as "the result of several back-to-back miracles."
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Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
