The evolution of the prototypes of Duke nukem Forever. All early versions/alpha/beta trailers and gameplay with cut content.
Leaked prototype gameplay: [ Ссылка ]

00:00 1998 trailer
03:31 1997/1998/1999 screenshots
03:45 2001 trailer
06:06 2001 screenhsots
06:41 2003 gameplay
07:56 2003 screenshots
08:09 2006 gameplay
09:21 2006 screenshots
09:51 2007 Trailer
10:46 2008 gameplay (Source: Jace Hall Show)
11:13 2009 gameplay
13:56 concept arts
15:22 2010 unreleased trailer

Wikipedia:
3D Realms announced Duke Nukem Forever on April 28, 1997, with the intention of releasing it no later than mid-1998. Barely a year after the release of Duke Nukem 3D, the game's graphics and its game engine, the Build engine, were antiquated. Broussard licensed Id Software's far superior Quake II engine. Because the Quake II engine was not yet finished, development started with the Quake engine, the team planning to incorporate the new Quake II features as they were completed. Broussard and Miller decided to fund Duke Nukem Forever themselves using the profits from Duke Nukem 3D and other games.

3D Realms unveiled the first video footage of Duke Nukem Forever using the Quake II engine at the 1998 E3 conference.

Soon after E3, a programmer suggested that they make the switch to the Unreal Engine, which Epic Games had unveiled soon after the release of the Quake II engine. The Unreal Engine was more realistic than Quake II and was better suited to producing open spaces; 3D Realms struggled to render the Nevada desert. The developers unanimously agreed to the change, which meant scrapping much of their work, including significant changes 3D Realms had made to the Quake engine.

By the end of 1999, Duke Nukem Forever had missed several release dates and was largely unfinished. A significant factor contributing to the protracted development was that Broussard was continually looking to add new elements. 3D Realms employees would joke that they had to stop Broussard from seeing new video games, as he would want to include portions of it in Duke Nukem Forever.

Later that year, Broussard decided to upgrade to a new version of the Unreal Engine designed for multiplayer. Employees recalled that Broussard did not have a plan for what the finished game would look like.

To placate anxious fans, Broussard decided to create another trailer for E3 2001, the first public showing in three years.

By 2003, only 18 people at 3D Realms were working on the game. One former employee said that Broussard and Miller were still operating on a "1995 mentality", before games became large-team, big budget development affairs. Later that year, Lapin said 3D Realms had told him that Duke Nukem Forever was expected to be finished by the end of 2004, or the beginning of 2005.

Closed-doors demonstrations of the technology suggested that the physics of Duke Nukem Forever would be superior to the critically acclaimed Half-Life 2.

Broussard reported in a January 2006 interview that many of Duke Nukem Forever's elements had been finished; "we're just basically pulling it all together and trying to make it fun". Later that year Broussard demonstrated samples of the game, including an early level, a vehicle sequence, and a few test rooms. Among the features seen was the interactive use of an in-game computer to send actual e-mails. The developer seemed contrite and affected by the long delays; while a journalist demoed the game Broussard referenced note cards and constantly apologized for the state of the game.

A new trailer was released on December 19, 2007, the first in more than six years. The video was made by 3D Realms employees as part of holiday festivities.


3D Realms laid off the Duke Nukem Forever staff on May 8, 2009 due to lack of funding, but inside sources claimed it would still operate as a smaller company. Development halted, and its fate was unknown. Publisher Take-Two Interactive, in response, stated that they still held the publishing rights for Duke Nukem Forever, but they were not funding the game.

3D Realms made plans to hire an "external" developer to complete the progress while continuing to downsize, resulting in development on another game, Duke Begins, being halted.

Despite the discontinuation of internal game development at 3D Realms, development of the game did not cease entirely. Nine ex-employees including key personnel like Allen Blum, continued game development throughout 2009 from their homes.

After ceasing internal game development, 3D Realms approached noted game developers Gearbox Software and asked them if they were interested in helping Triptych Games polish the nearly finished PC version and port it to the consoles.

The game was officially re-announced at the Penny Arcade Expo 2010 on September 3, 2010.

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