Duke Nukem Forever demo likely

By Oli Welsh Published 7 September, 2010

Gearbox boss thinks it's "important".

Gearbox head Randy Pitchford had indicated that Duke Nukem Forever will likely get a demo, telling VG247 that he thinks it's "important".

"I think that is an important thing to do," he said. "Now that the cat's out of the bag we can actually make those plans.

"Now we can get with retailers and figure out the launch window, and figure out demo timing, and work with the first-parties on that. We weren't able to do that until this point, because if we did we risked damaging it even further."

Gearbox's resuscitation of the game - which many feared would never see the light of day after its famously epic development at Duke creators 3D Relams hit a wall with the studio's meltdown last year - was announced on Friday. It's due for release next year.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (28) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • systems #1 1 year ago

    Yeah yeah. I'll play it when it's done.

  • HisDudness #2 1 year ago

    Shareware!

  • Trane #3 1 year ago

    When I play the demo, that's when I'll finally start to believe it's a game in development rather than some long running practical joke.

  • viper_h #4 1 year ago

    Relams?

    I'll believe it when I see it on this one.

  • el_pollo_diablo #5 1 year ago

    I'd have been tempted to do a Doom 1 and release a generous chapter 1, then go episodic with further chapters when (if) they get finished.

    edit: just saw your comment HisDudness :-)
    Edited by 1 at 07/09/10 @ 10:40

  • Goodfella #6 1 year ago

    Awaits 'demo delayed' announcement.

  • Trane #7 1 year ago

    Lol @ all the comment negging, sensitive souls.

  • el_pollo_diablo #8 1 year ago

    @Trane

    I suspect the negging might be down to people making lazy, tired comments.

  • Goodfella #9 1 year ago

    Not lazy, we've seen enough Duke Nukem articles to last a life time. Just surprise us with a demo or something to prove it exists.

  • Trane #10 1 year ago

    What he said ^

  • Skurmedel #11 1 year ago

    I want to know if the shrink gun is still in the game, and will you be able to pay strippers? These are all integral questions no journalist ever seem to pose. Will you be able to turn on taps? Embarrassingly this is what fascinated me the most when I played it the first time.

    Shake it baby.
    Edited by 2 at 07/09/10 @ 10:55

  • Ged42 #12 1 year ago

    It probably is a good idea, I don't think i'll fully believe DNF exsists till i've played the demo. Even then I probably won't believe it till I put the full game in my PS3...

    and it will turn out that Gearbox put Duke 3D on the disk for giggles.
    Edited by 1 at 07/09/10 @ 11:55

  • FreakyZoid #13 1 year ago

    > surprise us with a demo or something to prove it exists

    Punters were playing it at PAX.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #14 1 year ago

    I'll be honest: I would have bought it with or without a demo. I just need to know how a game this long in development will turn out even if it should turn out to be completely shit.

  • CaptainQuint #15 1 year ago

    Why do people give a shit about this franchise? The originals were famously garbage.
    Edited by 1 at 07/09/10 @ 12:36

  • darkmorgado #16 1 year ago

    Will you be able to turn on taps?

    Theres some PAX footage floating around where you can play around in the bathrooms, use the urinals, etc.

    The originals were famously garbage.

    Actually, Duke Nukem 3D is famous for being awesome and better than Doom.

  • darkmorgado #17 1 year ago

    Apparently at the end of the PAX demo, an NPC says to Duke that "your new game looks good".

    Duke replies "After 12 fucking years it had better be."

    This made me smile.

    He also comes up against a massive 3-breasted alien woman and he says "I'd still hit it."

    When he's injured and lying on the floor, he slowly raises his arm before giving an alien ship the middle finger.

    You can draw a cock on a military whiteboard at the start of the game.

    You start the game taking a piss.

    All win.
    Edited by 1 at 07/09/10 @ 13:10

  • Rack #18 1 year ago

    The world was somehow an emptier place without someone claiming that Duke Nukem Forever would eventually come out.

  • dingo75 #19 1 year ago

    Apparently at the end of the PAX demo, an NPC says to Duke that "your new game looks good".

    In fact it's one of the twins that gave him a blowjob while he was playing the end of Duke Nukem 3D at the start of the demo.

    This makes it even more awesome and I agree with all the other facts you mentioned which makes me putting my money down the day I can pre-order it from somewhere! :)

  • darkmorgado #20 1 year ago

    @dingo75

    I'm sure I read though that the game hasn't been rated yet, so some stuff might end up having to get cut (I can't imagine an in-game blowjob getting past the censors!)

  • Stuz359 #21 1 year ago

    It's due for release next year.

    Really? Believe it when I see it.

  • dirtysteve #22 1 year ago

    The speed at which this is coming together makes me think that the 3d Realms team really were taking the piss. I'd love to see an autopsy of the original project, it smacks of Daikatana-ism.

  • darkmorgado #23 1 year ago

    Wasn't there an in-game BJ in the first Call Of Juraez?

    Don't know to be honest, I never played it.

  • teh_MBK #24 1 year ago

    This demo is definitely a good and important move. With all the doubters out there saying that the game will "just borderlands" or that it is still wishful thinking that it will be released. I guess in the end it can do two things, relieve the doubts or enforce them and drive more players away. From previous comments have said about the PAX demo, it seems they've at least preserved the mood of the game, will be interesting to see how it plays first hand.

  • GaryHoward #25 1 year ago

    Those damn 3D 'Relams' employees! I'm glad Gearbox are taking over for them despite me not actually caring for DNF that much.

  • Skurmedel #26 1 year ago

    darkmorgado: Thank you :) I'll certainly try it. I don't know why but I love crap details, like the microwave oven in Half-Life. It probably means somebody as obsessive as me has worked on it.
    Edited by 1 at 07/09/10 @ 14:45

  • dingo75 #27 1 year ago

    @Darkmorgado,

    Wasn't there an in-game BJ in the first Call Of Juraez?

    There is definately one in Mafia 2. :)

  • darc #28 1 year ago

    "When I play the demo, that's when I'll finally start to believe it's a game in development rather than some long running practical joke."

    And even then... after all, a playable demo would be the ultimate red herring in a long-running practical joke about a game's development.

    It does read somewhat like a punchline for Pitchford to say, "hmm, yes, I suppose a demo would be an important thing to do" 15 years after the original developers failed to consider that the *game itself* might be an important thing to do.