An early build of 3D Realms’ original version of the portal-based first-person shooter Prey has been leaked online, giving gamers a chance to experience a version of the game that never saw the light of day. The leak of the 3D Realms prototype comes just months after a leaker released a 2001 build of the studio’s notorious, long-delayed Duke Nukem Forever.
Originally announced by developer 3D Realms in 1995, Prey would have let players make gateways to travel through the game’s world over a decade before Valve popularized the mechanic with the iconic Portal. Known to gamers at the time for its work on the Wolfenstein 3D-inspired shooter Rise of the Triad, 3D Realms went through multiple prototypes of the game as it struggled to nail down Prey’s gameplay and story. Although the title wowed gamers when demos of the portal technology were shown off at E3 in 1997 and 1998, numerous technical problems caused that version of the game to languish in development hell for years. It wasn’t until 2006 that gamers would be able to get their hands on Prey, now running on the id Tech 4 engine and featuring a scaled-back version of the portal technology.
In a new post on r/GamingLeaksAndRumours, Redditor enterthedragonpunch revealed that an early prototype build of 3D Realms' Prey from November 1995 had been posted online to Archive.org. According to the file description on Archive.org, the build is playable and allows players to change the display mode and access the console in-game. The file also includes multiple demo files, which gamers can play back using the commands entered into the console. The leak was posted by a user with the screenname hogsy, and no information was provided about how they came into possession of the leaked build.
Fans of classic first-person shooters responding to the post were excited about the unexpected leak, with one user pondering if a former 3D Realms employee might be the source of both the Prey and Duke Nukem Forever leaks. Noting the game’s long and troubled development history, one commenter expressed excitement about seeing the early versions of some gameplay elements that appeared in Prey’s 2006 release. Another poster referenced the recent leak of the Rayman 4 source code, wishing gamers a merry Christmas with the two unexpected leaks.
Although Arkane’s cerebral sci-fi shooter is likely what comes to mind when many gamers hear the name Prey, for fans of classic shooters this Prey is the title they’ve been waiting for for years. It’s unlikely that this early build will be able to deliver on nearly two decades’ worth of expectations and curiosity, but for classic gamers it should serve as a fascinating glimpse into what could have been.