Off the back of the original two games’ success, Valve had, at one point in time, considered making a Left 4 Dead 3. In fact, the project had entered early development before being unceremoniously canned back in 2017, leaving fans of the co-operative zombie slayer high and dry. Sadly, the leak to have emerged today doesn’t indicate that Valve plans to resurrect the project, but it does provide a glimpse of what the third entry might have looked like, had Valve not pulled the plug.
In a post on Twitter yesterday, Valve News Network founder and YouTuber Tyler McViker announced that he’d got his hands on nearly 30 alleged screenshots of Left 4 Dead 3, promising to make them public following a first-look period for Patreon subscribers.
Since then, the video has been uploaded on YouTube, in turn revealing the leak’s origins. According to McViker, the leaked images depict early renders of a stage originally intended to be in Left 4 Dead 3 that was built using the same assets as those found in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive‘s Dust II map. The screenshots date back to an in-progress 2013 build for the title and depict a nondescript settlement in a desert setting.
Despite coming from a reputed source that has accurately leaked details concerning Valve’s games in the past, there’s still no way to guarantee the leak’s authenticity, however likely they may seem. If accurate, though, McViker’s footage is probably the only Left 4 Dead 3 content fans of the series are ever going to see. Since its cancellation, Valve has given no indication of a potential reboot or revival, so we’re all probably best off considering it dead for good, or else suffer the same fate as fans still awaiting Half-Life 3.
Overall sad news, then, but if you’re still searching for a new outlet to quench your thirst for mass zombie culling, there are options available to you. In fact, Sony’s upcoming Days Gone, as well as Saber Interactive’s World War Z could be exactly what you’re looking for.
