In 2010, it was announced that Interceptor Entertainment was working on a remake of Duke Nukem 3D, the classic game of shooting, booting and polluting kids’ minds. What had started as a fan project to bring into the then modern Unreal Engine 3, it was Got Gearbox’s blessing and renamed from Duke Nukem: Next Gen to Duke Nukem 3D: Reloaded.
A year later, the Duke remake was put “on hold”.. The leader of the project, Frederik Schreiber, wrote in a blog post (opens in new tab) that Gearbox’s product manager and legal counsel had told him that the remake was “getting too much attention from the press and fans” and that “we had to pull all media related to Reloaded from our website and Facebook. We were also told, not to talk about it anymore.”
At the time, Duke Nukem Forever had been released to what could generously be called a mixed reception. Gearbox focused on DLC in an effort to rehabilitate the unloved game. When asked if Duke Nukem 3D: Reloaded would still receive Gearbox’s approval at a later date, Schreiber claimed he was told, “We can’t tell you if we’ll allow the game to be released.”
Schreiber and his team cut their losses and moved on. Duke Nukem 3D: Reloaded was largely forgotten, until the group called x0r_jmp, who previously E3 build of 2001 Duke Nukem Foreverput up a build from September 2011 anonymous files (opens in new tab) on December 31. It’s labeled “test version 0.001” and includes a handful of maps, such as Hollywood Holocaust, and lets you try extremely Unreal Tournament-style multiplayer with bots.
Back in the day, one of the best things about Duke Nukem 3D was exploring levels full of secrets and interactivity, and it’s a joy to see the city skyline and cinema shiny and new. But if you really want to replay the classic FPS now, but with some graphical updates and modernization, you can thanks to modders. Here’s our guide to the best way to play Duke Nukem 3D today.
In addition to the leaks related to Duke’s better-known outings, x0r_jmp was responsible for a leak of the canceled 2D platformer Duke Nukem 4Ever, which you can play in your browser at the internet archive (opens in new tab)called a downloadable prototype of a big game hunting shooter Duke Nukem: endangered species (opens in new tab)and a pitch for a Duke Nukem movie (opens in new tab). Apparently, as a group, we haven’t heard the last of them say (opens in new tab)“We have several new releases planned for 2023, so watch this space for updates!”
As for the team that worked on Duke Nukem 3D: Reloaded, they had a happy ending in the end. As Interceptor Entertainment, they made a remake of Rise of the Triad in 2013 that helped inspire the retro shooter renaissancerenamed Slipgate Ironworks and continued development ghost runner. They are currently busy Phantom rage, the sequel to Ion Fury. Frederik Schreiber, who kicked off the Duke Nukem remake, became CEO of 3D Realms.