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’sLeft 4 Deadfranchise, publishing the originalLeft 4 Deadin 2008, the sequel in 2009, and having made no announcements forLeft 4 Dead 3in the decade since.
Just like many fans are still holding out hope that Valve will one day move forward withHalf-Life 3orPortal 3, many are still keeping their fingers crossed forLeft 4 Dead 3.Left 4 Dead 3rumorshave persisted over the years thanks to fake leaks and outdated information, but it seems as though the company is not moving forward with a new game in the co-op zombie-killing series.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.
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Here is why Valve may be better off skippingLeft 4 Dead 3.
Back 4 Blood
The main reason why Valve may want to leaveLeft 4 Dead 3on the backburner for now is the imminent release ofBack 4 Blood.Developed by originalLeft 4 Deadstudio Turtle Rock,Back 4 Bloodis essentiallyLeft 4 Dead 3anyway. While it has had to use a different name and change what the enemies are called, it’s no secret thatBack 4 Bloodis meant to be a spiritual successor toLeft 4 Dead, and from the looks of it, it will greatly appeal to fans of the franchise.
Back 4 Bloodis basicallyLeft 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 Bloodeven uses the Director system fromLeft 4 Dead, showing that the similarities between the two games run deep. However,Back 4 Bloodis looking to update theLeft 4 Deadformula for modern audiences, introducing live service elements while significantly improving the graphics.
Assuming it lives up to expectations,Back 4 Blood’s existence makes aLeft 4 Dead 3seem 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. WithBack 4 Bloodplaying so similarly to theLeft 4 Deadfranchise as it is,Left 4 Dead 3is made redundant.
Other Valve Franchises Need Sequels First
IfBack 4 Bloodis a flop or if some time passes and it’s no longer a hot game, then moving forward withLeft 4 Dead 3might make a little more sense. However, there are some other Valve franchises that are more urgently in need of a sequel beforeLeft 4 Dead 3. Not only have some Valve fans been waiting for sequels to their favorite games much longer thanLeft 4 Deadenthusiasts, but there are some cliffhangers that still have yet to be resolved in a meaningful way.
The big one is obviouslyHalf-Life 3, which fans have been waiting to see for over a decade now.Half-Life: Alyxhelped 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 toHalf-Life 2and not a properHalf-Life 3. Fans are still waiting on concrete answers for some of the loose threads left byHalf-Life 2, and soHalf-Life 3seems like it should be at the top of the company’s game development list.
Another Valve franchise that could use some love isTeam Fortress.Team Fortress 2launched 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, asTeam Fortress 2still 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 seeLeft 4 Dead 3, but withBack 4 Bloodcoming 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 keepLeft 4 Deadfans engaged with the franchise through other means. Maybe aLeft 4 DeadVR gamesimilar in vein toHalf-Life: Alyxcould help fill the gap and provide players with a unique take on theLeft 4 Deadformula.
BothLeft 4 Deadgames are showing their age, and if it wasn’t forBack 4 Bloodbeing right around the corner, aLeft 4 Dead 3would 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 asBack 4 Blood. For now, though, fans of the franchise should keep their fingers crossed thatBack 4 Bloodlives up to the hype, as aLeft 4 Dead 3announcement doesn’t seem like it will happen anytime soon anyway.
Left 4 Dead 3is not confirmed to be in development.
MORE:Back 4 Blood is Basically Left 4 Dead 3, And That’s a Good Thing
