The existence of Duke Nukem 3D: World Tour is leaked through the release of several screenshots, confirming speculation that another Duke Nukem 3D release is on the way.

Although Duke Nukem was once seen as one one of the best action video game characters in history, the foul-mouthed, gun-toting hero has spent a long time in the wilderness. However, fans of the Duke Nukem series were given hope of a new game this week, after a countdown appeared on the official Duke Nukem website. Now, it looks as though a leak has revealed exactly what Gearbox has planned when that countdown reaches zero.

Thanks to a leak that was released over on Reddit, Gearbox is going to be launching a re-release of the Duke Nukem franchise's most popular outing, Duke Nukem 3D. Dubbed Duke Nukem 3D: World Tour, this new version of the game keeps all of the original game's content and character models, but improves matters such as the lighting effects. According to the leak, the re-release will also add some new and original content to the game - although nothing has come from Gearbox officially as of yet. The full announcement is likely to come when the countdown finishes next week.

The bulk of the leak comes in the form of screenshots, which can be seen in the gallery below, and certainly backs up the suggestion of new content being on the way. Improvements over the prior release of Duke Nukem 3D, the Megaton Edition, appear to be rather minimal from a graphical standpoint, which may disappoint those that were hoping for a more substantial remake of Duke Nukem 3D. One potential reason for this re-release, then, could be so that Gearbox could expand the availability of Duke Nukem 3D across the current generation of home consoles; after all, the Megaton Edition was only available on PS3, PS Vita, and via the likes of Steam and GOG.

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Some fans of Duke Nukem may have already been suspecting that a new release of this classic was on the cards. The Megaton Edition had been removed from online stores, with Gearbox apparently letting its licensing agreement with Devolver Digital wind down. The only real reason that Gearbox would have taken that action would be to then launch a brand new remaster or re-release of the classic FPS.

It certainly seems as though Gearbox has taken a more active interest in the Duke Nukem property since its infamous return with the much-maligned Duke Nukem Forever. The publisher went through a lengthy lawsuit with previous owner 3D Realms and developer Interceptor Entertainment to fight for the rights to the franchise, with Gearbox coming out as the "rightful owner" of Duke Nukem. With that out of the way, it looks like Gearbox could be looking to bring Duke Nukem back once more.

Whether that remains solely through the re-release of previous games, or a more substantial new game on the horizon, remains to be seen. Should Duke Nukem 3D: World Tour prove popular enough, potentially Gearbox could look to create a new game in the series. Until then, though, the official announcement of World Tour should give gamers a better idea of what to expect.

Source: Reddit