Some footage has leaked on 4chan of 3D Realms' infamous
Duke Nukem Forever, well known for having one of the longest and most troubled development times in video game history, dragging on from its announcement in 1997 to its eventual release by a different studio in 2011. This leak is a build of the game from around E3 2001; though it isn't the exact build featured at E3 2001, it does feature all of the content from that presentation.
The leaks come from an unidentified user calling themselves "x0r," and
are being catalogued on Duke Nukem fansite Duke4.net. Several short videos and some screenshots can be seen on that page, and some selected quotes from x0r, compiled by Duke4, gives us an idea of what content is in the leaks:
Almost every chapter is present in some form. A huge chunk is playable, a huge chunk is block-outs with no enemies. All of the E3 content is there.
Not just the editor, we will be releasing the full source code too.
All weapons are functional with the exception of the chainsaw and the freezer.
Do you have any date on when you are gonna leak it then? June.
The editor works. We also have the engine and UnrealScript source code and have written instructions for compiling it.
Two builds, but only the content for one.
It is Unreal Engine 1, like the final game.
There is no complete game. It was never finished.
The E3 2001 iteration but not the E3 2001 build.
The shrink ray is in the game, it’s the first weapon in slot 4.
The theme is just the Megadeth version. It starts playing as soon as you boot the game.
Bombshell is not visually present in the game at this point, there is a log file showing that her model was deleted.
The strippers can be seen and interacted with when you first enter the club. By the point in the game that was recorded, most of them are dead.
As of right now, x0r has only released screenshots and footage, but claims to have access to the source code and will be leaking that, along with instructions on how to compile it, sometime next month.
George Broussard, co-founder of 3D Realms and one of the heads of development from 1997 to the IP's acquisition by Gearbox in 2010,
has said on Twitter that the leaks "look real," but warns fans to keep their expectations in check. "There is no real game to play. Just a smattering of barely populated test levels." He also says he has no knowledge of who is behind the leaks.
