Laid-off 3D Realms staff reveal Duke Nukem Forever concept art

by Xav de Matos { May 8th 2009 at 1:25PM }

Having just lost their positions at 3D Realms, artists Chris Smith, Trammell Issac and Layne Johnson have created new blogs to show off their previous work in search of a new industry gig. Included on all three blogs are concept art, renders and pretty much more than we've ever seen of Duke Nukem Forever. Just prior to press time, Chris Smith's blog was taken offline, but the images were saved and can be viewed in the gallery below.

If 3D Realms closing its doors proved anything, it was that Duke Nukem Forever's 13-year development odyssey really was happening all along. Unfortunately, since the house that built Duke has closed up shop, the '90s hero's latest adventure will tentatively be referred to as Duke Nukem For-Never... until someone else gets crazy enough to take over development.

Gallery: Duke Nukem Forever - Chris Smith Unreleased Concept Art

Gallery: Duke Nukem Forever Screenshots

[Thanks, Darius B.]

Tags: 3d-realms, concept-art, duke, duke-nukem-forever, shut-down

Related From Joystiq

Duke Nukem Forever gameplay surfaces, requests we 'come get some'
183 days ago
'Duke Nukem' dev 3D Realms has shut down [Update 3]
186 days ago
3D Realms unwraps new Duke Nukem Forever image
325 days ago

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

ben @ May 8th 2009 1:30PM

Unless it's a release date or a gameplay trailer, I don't care

Duke @ May 8th 2009 3:47PM

I think this gets the award for most clueless comment. Way to show love to 3D after they are shut down forever.

Unless the game is picked up and done by Take-Two, who has the publishing rights - the Duke franchise is now dead.

WINterfang @ May 9th 2009 2:27AM

OH BOO HOO!!!

They bring that to themselves.

ben @ May 9th 2009 6:39AM

Why does 3D Realms deserve any love? All they've done for the last 10 years is dick around with one of my favorite childhood franchises.

Cosmo @ May 8th 2009 1:31PM

I'm also going to miss 3D Realms/Apogee for their games I played back as a kid like Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure, Secret Agent, Bio Menace, Rise of the Triad, Realms of Chaos, etc.

I'd love to see a new version of Shadow Warrior!

Neuromancer @ May 8th 2009 2:13PM

You want some Wang?

rallion @ May 8th 2009 1:33PM

I don't really think that concept art goes very far as proof that development was actually happening.

A 14-year-old could come up with a crapload of concept art alone in his or her bedroom. Especially over 13 years. After which he or she would be 27.

Ryan @ May 8th 2009 1:42PM

You have to admit though, that updated ripper (chaingun) looks pretty sweet.

Reuben @ May 8th 2009 2:06PM

I really don't see why they would lie about developing the game. What could they have possibly had to gain from that?

XBL: Burritoclock @ May 8th 2009 3:15PM

a job for 13 years....

Egonaut @ May 8th 2009 6:35PM

Actually, the Chris Smith concept art looks more like finished models with normal maps and some of them rendered in-engine. So it does look like actual development was undergone.

Ed @ May 8th 2009 1:34PM

Duke Nukem Forever. . . THE WAIT IS FOREVER!

Archon (PSN: Archonik, XBL: DarkARHN) @ May 8th 2009 2:47PM

I don't get it? What's going on?

Why is Midway fighting while filling for bankruptcy, Free Radical being bought by someone and 3D Realms... just disappears?!
What the hell? Why is no-one saving them? Buying them? Why is no-one fighting?

Is. "Yeah, we're closing today", all they have to say?
WTF?!

Jerk Face @ May 8th 2009 3:00PM

Honestly, Archon? It's because they have been working on their flagship title for TWELVE YEARS.

Midway at least has been cranking out games, even if their sales were poor. They're TRYING.l I have no idea how 3D Realms stayed open this long, when one of their largest studios has produced absolutely nothing for more than a decade.

bvhj @ May 8th 2009 3:02PM

You have just confirmed my suspicions about you... You are awesoommee

Duke @ May 8th 2009 3:49PM

Didn't they publish Prey?

Latin_Trident @ May 8th 2009 4:47PM

the wait won't be forever if Gabe Newell gets his hands on it!

DO IT, GABE!!!

THE Ezio Auditore de Firenze (PSN slycooper_rocker) @ May 8th 2009 5:50PM

free radical _was_ saved. by crytek.

Marco @ May 8th 2009 1:38PM

Dang this stinks.

Any buyers out there?

playwhutyalike (swine flu?) @ May 8th 2009 1:39PM

I love the vehicle in pic 11. Bad ass.

profeteer @ May 8th 2009 1:39PM

Can we please just have what they've done so far?

Markez @ May 8th 2009 1:50PM

I think we are.

Markez @ May 8th 2009 1:53PM

...seeing what they've done so far. Bleh.

Jake B @ May 8th 2009 2:56PM

For real, bleh. From the looks of it those are just models taken from Red Faction on PS2.

WINterfang @ May 8th 2009 1:40PM

I can't wait!!!

skyzbig @ May 8th 2009 1:44PM

Someone is gonna pick this up for sure.

Finish it off within a couple of months, release it, then make a profit on a game you didn't develop.

Common sense.

Neuromancer @ May 8th 2009 2:14PM

"Finish it off within a couple of months"

HA!

Towers @ May 8th 2009 1:45PM

Just release it, add a dontate button and let it be done.

Shagittarius @ May 8th 2009 3:26PM

They should just market it to adnetworks as the most anticipated ad delivery vehicle created. Then laden it with Adware/Spyware and give it away for free to gamers.

This would make it the longest in developement trojan horse ever!

G3ORGE @ May 8th 2009 1:48PM

the game looks eh but that's because its images, is way different in action

Gemini Ace @ May 8th 2009 1:54PM

Somebody needs to interview one of these people and find out what the problem was.

Marty @ May 8th 2009 1:55PM

This game was probably never really in development in the first place. Or at least, not at the pace that it should have been.

Roto13 @ May 8th 2009 1:57PM

There was actual gameplay footage a while back.

Neuromancer @ May 8th 2009 2:16PM

No, it was always in development... In my heart.

NoughtSoClever @ May 8th 2009 3:36PM

Allow me to elaborate on "a while back". He means during the 90s.

Roto13 @ May 8th 2009 3:55PM

No, I mean like last year.

abelpc @ May 9th 2009 12:02AM

that is what they said about Team Fortress 2.. No? Oh well.. sucks that this may be the end.. it was actually looking decent

Dirty @ May 8th 2009 1:56PM

Vaporware is vaporware?

Markez @ May 8th 2009 2:05PM

They probably didn't have enough time to get to the 'ware' of the game, I bet those taxi and cop car models took a long time to develop.

RuthlessMurder @ May 8th 2009 1:59PM

I wish Valve or a likewise developer would pick up the rights to Duke Nukem

Jack Tretton @ May 8th 2009 2:03PM

Ooooh! Concept art! My britches have been suitably polluted.

I see a Joystiq exclusive in the making:

"What the F*ck Has 3D Realms Been Up to For the Last 13 Years?"

Robobagins @ May 8th 2009 2:09PM

that would actually make for a good article. though I assume the folks at GameDeveloper are scrambling right now to get interviews with people as well.

Let's be honest, DNF should have been released a decade ago we should be on DNF4 or 5 now. I want to just how this project was driven into the ground, and from there set it's sights on hitting the core of development hell.

Storm Eagle @ May 8th 2009 2:29PM

I think it's ironic that the abbreviation for Duke Nuke Forever is DNF. Which is a racing term for DID NOT FINISH.

Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ May 8th 2009 2:34PM

I think it goes like this,

In the E3 of 199X they showed a trailer for DKF that was supposed to be released that same year or the next.

The creators awe for the new Quake engine that was shown in that same E3 so they Delete Fukken Everything and remade the game usng a new engine.

By the time they finish a new and better engine was released and the Quake engine looked like crap.

They started again form scratch and so on until they got the Unreal engine that I'm sure is incredibly expensive ,they ran out of money and then they DIE!

Too bad I wish MS picked 3D realms.I would like to see 3D realms create Halo 4.

Jack Tretton @ May 8th 2009 3:11PM

"[T]hat would actually make for a good article."

I was being serious! :D Sit those folks down and ask how they made a living for the last thirteen years, why there's so very little DNF to demonstrate, if being the poster child for vaporware was more fun than actually producing the game, et cetera.