Duke Nuke Forever 2001 Gameplay Build Appears Online

2011’s Duke Nukem Forever famously languished in development hell for 15 years before release. Its tumultuous cycle, which began in 1997, spawned several builds and demos by original developer 3D Realms. Today, footage of one of those early versions of the game has appeared online.

According to GameSpot, a 4Chan user known as x0r uploaded footage of a 1-minute, 20-second slice of gameplay from a 2001 demo of the game. The video’s authenticity was confirmed on TwitterGeorge Broussard (Duke Nukem) was the co-creator of Duke Nukem and one of its leading designers, Forever with 3D Realms. According to Broussard, he has no idea how the footage resurfaced but shot down hopes of a complete, playable build by describing these demos as a “smattering of barely populated test levels.”

This demo features Duke killing alien-infected SWAT troops in a stripclub while making his trademark quips. The demo shows an earlier version of Duke’s Ego Meter, which would be used in the final game. It essentially served as a shield. A quick toggle weapon menu is also shown in the footage, which allows for equipment to be changed on-the fly. 

Another clip featured a segment of first-person riding on a motorcycle. The no-frills clip is exactly what it sounds like.

Duke Nukem Forever, which received negative reviews (we gave it 6.75 out 10), is the final Duke Nukem video game. It is notable, however, for one of longest game development cycles in history. The only significant sign of life the series has shown in recent years was the 2018 announcement of a Duke Nukem movie with John Cena reportedly starring. However, that too has quietly faded into its own development hell, assuming it’s still happening at all. 

[Source: 4Chan via GameSpot]