The old saying goes that Valve can’t count to three, and so far, the company has proven that to be true. While Valve has released critically-acclaimed sequels to many of its games, it always seems to stop short before releasing the third main series game, instead opting to release spin-offs or ignore the franchise entirely. This holds true for Valve’s Left 4 Dead franchise, publishing the original Left 4 Dead in 2008, the sequel in 2009, and having made no announcements for Left 4 Dead 3 in the decade since.
Just like many fans are still holding out hope that Valve will one day move forward with Half-Life 3 or Portal 3, many are still keeping their fingers crossed for Left 4 Dead 3. Left 4 Dead 3 rumors have persisted over the years thanks to fake leaks and outdated information, but it seems as though the company is not moving forward with a new game in the co-op zombie-killing series. And at this point, it may be better if Valve leaves the franchise to rest.
Here is why Valve may be better off skipping Left 4 Dead 3.
The main reason why Valve may want to leave Left 4 Dead 3 on the backburner for now is the imminent release of Back 4 Blood. Developed by original Left 4 Dead studio Turtle Rock, Back 4 Blood is essentially Left 4 Dead 3 anyway. While it has had to use a different name and change what the enemies are called, it’s no secret that Back 4 Blood is meant to be a spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, and from the looks of it, it will greatly appeal to fans of the franchise.
Back 4 Blood is basically Left 4 Dead, but with a ton more content. This means fans can look forward to more playable characters, more enemy types to deal with, more weapons to use, and much more. Back 4 Blood even uses the Director system from Left 4 Dead, showing that the similarities between the two games run deep. However, Back 4 Blood is looking to update the Left 4 Dead formula for modern audiences, introducing live service elements while significantly improving the graphics.
Assuming it lives up to expectations, Back 4 Blood‘s existence makes a Left 4 Dead 3 seem pointless by comparison. Not only that, but the games would have to compete with one another, with one potentially cannibalizing the player base of the other. With Back 4 Blood playing so similarly to the Left 4 Dead franchise as it is, Left 4 Dead 3 is made redundant.
If Back 4 Blood is a flop or if some time passes and it’s no longer a hot game, then moving forward with Left 4 Dead 3 might make a little more sense. However, there are some other Valve franchises that are more urgently in need of a sequel before Left 4 Dead 3. Not only have some Valve fans been waiting for sequels to their favorite games much longer than Left 4 Dead enthusiasts, but there are some cliffhangers that still have yet to be resolved in a meaningful way.
The big one is obviously Half-Life 3, which fans have been waiting to see for over a decade now. Half-Life: Alyx helped fill the gap a little bit, but its status as a virtual reality game severely limits its potential player base and not only that, the game is a prequel to Half-Life 2 and not a proper Half-Life 3. Fans are still waiting on concrete answers for some of the loose threads left by Half-Life 2, and so Half-Life 3 seems like it should be at the top of the company’s game development list.
Another Valve franchise that could use some love is Team Fortress. Team Fortress 2 launched all the way back in 2007, and so it’s well overdue for a sequel. Whether or not this will ever happen remains to be seen, as Team Fortress 2 still has a fairly active userbase on Steam, but it would be nice to see a sequel that takes full advantage of modern hardware to deliver an upgraded experience for fans.
At some point, it would be nice to see Left 4 Dead 3, but with Back 4 Blood coming and other Valve franchises needing sequels more urgently, it seems like it may be best for the company to skip it for now. However, perhaps Valve could keep Left 4 Dead fans engaged with the franchise through other means. Maybe a Left 4 Dead VR game similar in vein to Half-Life: Alyx could help fill the gap and provide players with a unique take on the Left 4 Dead formula.
Both Left 4 Dead games are showing their age, and if it wasn’t for Back 4 Blood being right around the corner, a Left 4 Dead 3 would make more sense. But maybe if Valve ever does decide to make a new game in the series, it will be able to take advantage of whatever hardware is out at the time to provide something that is leaps and bounds ahead of the original games as well as Back 4 Blood. For now, though, fans of the franchise should keep their fingers crossed that Back 4 Blood lives up to the hype, as a Left 4 Dead 3 announcement doesn’t seem like it will happen anytime soon anyway.
Left 4 Dead 3 is not confirmed to be in development.
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