We get a look at an earlier version of the game, which might have been better for the macho blond man.

Between Duke Nukem Forever’s announcement in 1997 and its release in 2011, a lot happened: there were multiple engines and studios for the gentleman in the sunglasses, but the result was rather forgettable (especially compared to Duke Nukem 3D). At first, we got to see the game in action, but as the 2000s progressed, it became more of a joke. As the years passed, Duke was nowhere to be seen…

However, on the 4chan /v/ forum, a 2001 version of Duke Nukem Forever has surfaced. It is a leaked build that is supposed to be released in June, and the video below is from it. According to the forum, “Almost every chapter is present. A huge chunk is playable; a huge chunk is block-outs with no enemies. All of the E3 content is there.”

But remember, 2001 was back in the days when 3D Realms, the developers of Duke Nukem 3D, were making the game (and they were using the Unreal Engine at the time; they originally started with the Quake II engine). The development then underwent a restructuring in 2006. From then on, it was transferred to Gearbox Software, thanks to Randy Pitchford, who was one of the designers of Duke Nukem 3D and was already running Gearbox at the time. Who knows if the post is authentic and if the leaked build of Duke Nukem Forever will make it to the public. If that happens, we could be looking at a part of gaming history…

The situation between 3D Realms and Gearbox then got legally out of hand, as they both claimed ownership of the Duke Nukem IP. Still, they finally agreed, and now that both companies are under the Embracer Group, they could make a new game together peacefully if it doesn’t take 14 years to develop.

At least George Broussard, one of the creators behind Duke Nukem, confirmed the leak’s authenticity on Twitter…

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

Source: WCCFTech