Video for Gearbox's cancelled Duke Nukem Begins revealed Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Video for Gearbox's cancelled Duke Nukem Begins revealed Past it. News by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 9 Aug 2021 27 comments A video for Gearbox's cancelled Duke Nukem Begins provides us with an idea of what the game might have been. In 2008, with Duke Nukem Forever in development hell, artist Gregor Punchatz headed up a Gearbox-commissioned project at Dallas, Texas-based production studio Janimation to create an animated vertical slice to show what Duke Nukem Begins was meant to be. The video shows third-person shooting, with Duke killing various demons using familiar weapons in an urban setting. We also see four-player co-op. There's a big boss fight at the end, with Duke flying around using a jet-pack. Yes, that's Guerrilla Radio by Rage Against the Machine. "We poured everything we had into making the most awesome cinematic Janimation had ever created," Punchatz said. "But unfortunately, we got word the game was canceled due to the legal issues with Duke Nukem at the time." In July 2009, Eurogamer reported that development on Duke Nukem Begins had stopped amid a legal dispute between publisher Take-Two and 3D Realms, which had claimed ownership of the Duke IP over Gearbox. "It crushed us, as this was what we thought could help us compete with bigger players in the game trailer market at the time," Punchatz said. "Because it is still a piece I am damn proud of, I am releasing it 13 years after its creation. The whole team that worked with me deserves to see this released into the wild. "I hope this somehow resurrects this version of the game by showing the world how awesome it would have been..." Gearbox eventually picked up development duties on Duke Nukem Forever, and released the troubled first-person shooter in 2011. Check out Eurogamer's Duke Nukem Forever review to find out how that turned out. Watch on YouTube The battle for Duke finally ended in 2015 with Gearbox retaining the rights to the franchise, although Gearbox ended up suing 3D Realms again, this time over breach of contract relating to the rights to the game's music. Bringing the sorry saga full circle, both Gearbox and 3D Realms are now owned by the all-encompassing Embracer Group. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 3 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 3 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store