The leaked 2001 build of Duke Nukem Forever is actually real

pcgamer.com:

The version of Duke Nukem Forever showcased at E3 in 2001 is tied into one of the most infamous development hell stories in the history of the industry—which culminated, after 15 years of development, in a 2011 game with a design and tone that felt woefully out of touch. But interest around the game's incredibly protracted development endures, and it seems that the die-hard Duke community will finally get their hands on that long-lost E3 build of the game.

Via Duke4.net, a leaker going by the name 'x0r' uploaded pictures and gameplay footage to 4Chan, claiming that they were from the E3 2001 build of Duke Nukem Forever. Since the leak George Broussard, Duke Nukem creator and lead project manager for most of Forever's development, has confirmed on Twitter that the footage is indeed real, though also says he's not particularly keen to drudge up memories of the game's messy development:

Yes, the leak looks real. No, I’m not really interested in talking about it or retreading a painful past. You should heavily temper expectations. There is no real game to play. Just a smattering of barely populated test levels. I have no knowledge who leaked this.May 9, 2022

Looking at the footage, the game looks solid, if kind of uninspired. The most comprehensive clip shows Duke blasting his way through a strip club, shooting what appear to be SWAT officers and gun turrets. My question from this is: where are all the pig cops and other fun aliens? It looks like some kind of squiggly tentacle things burst from the dead SWATsters—suggesting that they're probably alien-possessed in some way – but it doesn't look nearly as vibrant or playful as the legendary Duke Nukem 3D.

Another notable feature is that Duke has an 'Ego' meter that refills