A pre-release version of the shooter Prey, developed by Human Head Studios, surfaced online ahead of its official release. The early build has since been made publicly available for download on a PC, allowing anyone to access it without purchasing the final product.
The 1995 pre-release of Prey marks an initial public announcement of the project, though the completed game would not reach players until 11 years later, in 2006.
early version:
original:
A technical demo for the project has been made downloadable. To experience it, players must access the console by pressing the Tab key and use the command “load demo4” to run the demonstration.
The leaks extend beyond Prey. Other early builds, including Halo 3 and Duke Nukem Forever, have also appeared in the wild.
Halo 3, which officially released in 2007, has an early 2006 build that surfaced online. Running this version requires either a modded Xbox 360 console or a developer kit to operate.
Built early:
original:
Duke Nukem Forever began as a canceled 1996 prototype with 2D visuals that echoed the early installments of the series. The project eventually evolved into a full 3D game built on the Earthquake 2 engine. The 2011 release of Duke Nukem Forever featured a complete redesign and relocation to the Unreal Engine. An early version of the project remains downloadable.
Built early:
Version 2011:
Recent fan efforts include the 2001 Restoration Project, which revives the first Duke Nukem Forever era with a campaign spanning ten levels, a range of weapons, and support for map editing plus online play. A note related to the Witcher universe appeared in related materials.