Duke Nukem Forever is the stuff of legends, but not for the right reasons. A follow-up to Duke Nukem 3D, which came out in 1996, Duke Nukem Forever was first shown off at E3 1998 and delayed numerous times until it finally came out in 2011. By then, Duke Nukem Forever had lots its hype, and it certainly didn’t help that the game was buggy as hell.
To date, Duke Nukem Forever remains a great example for studios about knowing when to quit.
Having said that, it’s been years until people have talked about Duke Nukem Forever with some form of optimism, but it’s exactly what happened earlier this week after a gameplay build of the game’s original concept appeared online.
A 4chan user leaked footage of the build online and claims that they plan to release a full version in June. To prove its authenticity, Duke Nukem Forever’s producer, George Broussard, said that the video looks authentic. However, Broussard warned that players should “heavily temper expectations”, explaining that he has “no knowledge” about who leaked the build after saying that “there is no real game to play.”
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
The leaker explains that “almost every chapter is present in some form” and that “a huge chunk is playable.” In addition to the playable build, they will also release the game’s source code with instructions for those who want to compile it.
If nothing else, it’s interesting to see why Duke Nukem Forever didn’t come out in 2001 if this early build is true. Judging by how complete it is, Broussard had little excuse to delay it by a decade only to ask Gearbox Software to take over.
In an ideal world, Duke Nukem Forever would have come out in the early 2000s, paving the way for the planned prequel, Duke Nukem Begins, in the late 2000s. Instead, what we got was a half-assed game that was completely out of its depth. As a product of its time, Duke Nukem wouldn’t have succeeded in the 2010s at all, much more so these days. Still, it’s nice to imagine what it would have been like Duke Nukem Forever came out when it should have. Who knows? The John Cena-led live-action adaptation would have probably aired by now.
Speaking of John Cena, the WWE superstar is now firmly established as one of the tentpoles of the DC Extended Universe. After the success of Peacemaker on HBO Max, Warner Bros. gave the green light for a second season with the uber-patriotic vigilante poised to star in another upcoming DCEU movie.
