Fans of the zombie-slaying Left 4 Dead series have long clamored for a third installment, but it looks like the wait will not be ending anytime soon.
With the success of 2008’s Left 4 Dead and 2009’s Left 4 Dead 2, gamers did not expect to wait long for Left 4 Dead 3. However, the game which was reportedly in development in 2011 or 2012, was canceled in 2017.
Recent rumors gave the fanbase a glimmer of hope. YouTube channel Valve News Network claimed that it acquired concept art for Left 4 Dead 3 that was drawn in 2012.
Valve News Network also claimed that the positive reception to Half-Life: Alyx changed Valve’s plans for virtual reality, which hinted that the next Left 4 Dead game may be a VR version.
That speculation was supported by a presentation uploaded to Twitter by Alvin Wang Graylin, president of HTC Vive in China.
A few slides from my talk tonight… pic.twitter.com/bHegijjZW1
— Alvin Wang Graylin (汪丛青) (@AGraylin) January 17, 2020
Under the slide titled 2020 VR Trends, one bullet point says “Valve HL Alyx/L4D3 will drive consumer and AAA studio interest.” This was viewed as confirmation that Left 4 Dead 3 was in the works.
However, in a statement to IGN, Valve shot down all rumors that it was working on a new Left 4 Dead game.
“We’ve seen rumors to this effect for the last couple of months,” said Valve in its statement. “We did briefly explore some Left 4 Dead next-gen opportunities a few years ago. But we are absolutely not working on anything L4D related now, and haven’t for years.”
“It’s clear some people are having fun creating misinformation to spin up the community and other outlets. Unfortunately, for now, a new L4D game is not something we’re working on,” said Valve.
The hype for Half-Life: Alyx resulted in sold-out stocks of the Valve Index, as the game will be free to those who purchased the virtual reality headset by the end of 2019. The early success of the new Half-Life project bodes well for more Half-Life games, possibly including the long-awaited Half-Life 3, and more VR projects for Valve.
While Left 4 Dead 3 is currently not in development, there is always a chance for the project to be revived now that Valve is making games again.
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