Despite not releasing a major, non-VR title for almost 10 years now, Valve is still often hailed as one of the industry’s best companies, with some of the greatest games ever made under its belt. FromHalf-LifetoPortaltoTeam Fortress 2, there’s no denying that Valve has quite the back catalog, but the developer’s present isn’t nearly as exciting. ThoughHalf-Life: Alyxpushed the boundaries of what VR can be, it wasn’t a full sequel to the franchise, and fans are still desperately holding out hope for a fully-fledgedHalf-Life 3. And though it may not be as infamous,Left 4 Dead 3is also on that same wishlist.
Generally considered to be two ofthe best co-op games of all time, and some of the best zombie games ever made, theLeft 4 Deadseries lasted just two years, with the first game releasing in 2008 and the second arriving just one year later. Despite its shockingly short development time,Left 4 Deadhas continued to be one of Valve’s most accessible and replayable franchises, and even though games likeBack 4 Bloodtry to give players a similar experience, that hasn’t stopped fans asking for aLeft 4 Dead 3, but that might never happen.
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The gaming industry is full of leaks and rumors, perhaps even more so than any other entertainment industry. And for big developers and publishers, this is even more so the case. With hundreds of employees around the globe, all it takes is just one screenshot of a document or office photo to be posted online, and a company’s whole slate of upcoming video games can be leaked. For the most part, Valve is pretty great at keeping its leaks contained, but that hasn’t stoppedLeft 4 Dead 3rumorsfrom circulating around online every few months for the past decade.
All the way back in 2014, an image leaked on Neogaf that seemed to showcase some ofLeft 4 Dead 2’s environments up-rezzed using the Source 2 engine. At the time, fans thought this might have beena remake ofLeft 4 Dead 2in Valve’s brand-new engine, or possibly a tech demo to convince Valve to makeLeft 4 Dead 3. In 2016, the Valve News Network datamined Valve’s Steam VR Performance Tool and discovered a whole slew of information on what was then thought to be Valve’s upcoming slate of games, including some Source 2 files that suggestedLeft 4 Dead 3would have a day and night cycle, and that it could potentially be set in Morocco. Later on in 2019, Valve News Network also stumbled upon some screenshots which were presumed to be from the game, depicting a walled Moroccan city.
Back in 2020, Geoff Keighley’s interactive documentary storybookThe Final Hours of Half-Life: Alyxlaunched. Keighley’s relationship with Valve dates all the way back to the very firstHalf-Life, and with the devs being so comfortable with him, he managed to eke out a few details aboutLeft 4 Dead 3, and evenHalf-Life 3, or at least earlier attempts at getting them made. Apparently, after the release ofHalf-Life 2: Episode 2, Valve wasn’t too keen on just continuing the story in the same fashion and instead wanted to continue innovating with each release. The team came to the conclusion that it first needed to make a new Source engine to push the boundaries of gameplay.
At the same time as the Source 2 engine was being created, Valve was also working on three other projects, one of those beingLeft 4 Dead 3. A team of 30 Valve devs started working on the sequel in 2013, and much like those earlier rumors stated, the game was set in Morocco, and would feature a brand-new cast of colorful characters.Left 4 Dead 3would include a vast open-world, with hundreds of zombies populating it, but this is where Valve ran into issues. Apparently, the new Source 2 engine just couldn’t keep up with the game, and ultimately Valve decided to shelve the project until the engine was ready. That’s all that’s known aboutLeft 4 Dead 3and its development, and with Valve seemingly shifting its focus to VR and the Steam Deck, it seems unlikely that fans will ever get to playLeft 4 Dead 3, or at least this version of it.
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