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Fans of Duke Nukem Forever (both of them) have spotted an oddity on the 2011 shooter's Steam page. Publisher 2K Games appears to have quietly updated the listing with footage and screenshots pulled from the legendary development-hell sequel's unreleased builds.
Duke Nukem Forever, which previously held the record for the longest in-development project in video game history (since surpassed by Beyond Good & Evil 2), was eventually released in 2011 on PS3, PC, and Xbox 360, following a 14-year process that saw the bombastic sequel pass through several development teams, including 3D Realms, Triptych Games, Gearbox Software, and Piranha. Over the course of development, several versions of the game were teased, with builds attributed to 2000 and, most notably, 2006.
In 2009, with 3D Realms having expunged most of its capital, assets pulled from the development so far crept out, likely in hopes of attracting further funding. When DNF finally released in 2011, the version that hit the shelves bore only a small resemblance to the leaked build, leading to theories that the game was completely overhauled from the 3D Realms efforts just to get it finished and out the door.
With this new Steam page update directly referencing the older builds in its screenshots and video, the Duke Nukem community now wonders whether a complete build of "Duke Nukem Forever '06-'09" is waiting in the wings, with an announcement from 2K potentially forthcoming. It should be reiterated that this is purely speculation on the fans' part, but it is extremely odd that what is essentially abandonware footage has made a comeback in 2026.
It should also be reiterated that Duke Nukem Forever was Capital A Ass. After all the constant delays, team changes, funding issues, and rebuilds, the final release was a derivative, outdated shooter with tired, "edgy" humour, abhorrent load times, and a litany of bugs - containing very little of the thrills or invention that Duke Nukem 3D brought to the FPS genre in 1996.
Whether a completed "old build" build could improve upon this remains to be seen - if it even hits the market at all. Maybe with a fresh pair of eyes and some modern tech, fans could get a better idead of what might have been. We'll be sure to give y'all a heads-up should an announcement hit the scene. Hail to the King? We'll see, I guess.