Valve is updating Left 4 Dead 2 more than a decade after launch

[Shawn Knight]

Recap: It’s been nearly a dozen years since Valve released Left 4 Dead, arguably one of the greatest multiplayer survival horror games of all time. The developer followed it up with a sequel, the aptly named Left 4 Dead 2, exactly one year later.

The first piece of DLC for L4D2 arrived in April 2010 and was followed by a prequel, titled The Sacrifice, later that year. A community-created content pack called Cold Stream came in mid-2012 but since then, the trail has been cold… until now.

Valve in a brief blog post this week teased a new community-created update called The Last Stand.

It has been many years since the infection first hit. Radio silence, no sign of life, nothing but lingering hopes... CEDA is not going to save us. But there is hope! A few brave souls have continued the fight against all odds, and soon we can all benefit from their resilience.

Additional details will be coming in due time, we’re told, but for now, all we’ve got to go on is the accompanying teaser trailer. The eerie vibe, the lighthouse and fog horn give it a very Far Harbor feel, but maybe that’s just me. Either way, it looks like the perfect setting for a group of survivors to try and hold off a horde of zombies while waiting for rescue to arrive.

According to Steam, there are 12,738 people playing Left 4 Dead 2 as of this writing.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/86540-valve-drops-trailer-community-created-left-4-dead.html

 

[Sherwoodnt]

LFD-VR confirmed!

 

[loading88]

Awesome! Me and my friends still fire up custom campaigns almost nightly. The amount of ways we've found to troll each other is quite comical, First Aid kit being the best.

 

[Lionvibez]

I still play this game mostly on custom servers 10vs10 etc.

Still waiting for L4D3 though was not expecting this.

 

[TomSEA]

Awesome! Love this game and still play it with my cronies from time-to-time...

 

[psycros]

I'm pretty sure that IS a Left 4 Dead map shown in the picture. There was definitely one where you had to hold out for a boat arriving and the environment looks almost identical to what I remember.

 

[texasrattler]

I dont understand why Valve just dont keep updating the game. Its classed as the best horror game plus as one of the best co op games ever. They could have easily kept selling the game a $30 if they kept updating it. Valve just makes some bonehead decisions and not updating a game that clearly would have made A LOT of money years to come made no sense.
Make a console version, add cross play, youd have a ton players playing one of best games ever. The money theyd rake in. Millions easily.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I dont understand why Valve just dont keep updating the game. Its classed as the best horror game plus as one of the best co op games ever. They could have easily kept selling the game a $30 if they kept updating it. Valve just makes some bonehead decisions and not updating a game that clearly would have made A LOT of money years to come made no sense.
Make a console version, add cross play, youd have a ton players playing one of best games ever. The money theyd rake in. Millions easily.

Because the money they were raking in from Steam made L4D2 a miniscule drop in the bucket, and many of these larger companies will start ignoring smaller projects once big onces get popular enough. After all, if you are making hundreds of billions from game sales, who cazres about making 100 million from this side project?

Well Valve is getting a wake up call from the success from Epic games and GoG, and now is beginning to realize why keeping your own IP relevant, no matter how small, is a good thing.

 

[veLa]

Never cared for the L4D series. The first one had a severe lack of content, and the second one should've been an expansion pack to the first.

Besides, I was always more of Killing Floor guy.

 

[Nobina]

Valve support > Apple support

 

[Namtrooper]

I dont understand why Valve just dont keep updating the game. Its classed as the best horror game plus as one of the best co op games ever. They could have easily kept selling the game a $30 if they kept updating it. Valve just makes some bonehead decisions and not updating a game that clearly would have made A LOT of money years to come made no sense.
Make a console version, add cross play, youd have a ton players playing one of best games ever. The money theyd rake in. Millions easily.

Probably because they make so much they don't need more?

 

[Evernessince]

Well Valve is getting a wake up call from the success from Epic games and GoG, and now is beginning to realize why keeping your own IP relevant, no matter how small, is a good thing.

I'm 100% sure half life alyx was in development before Epic store was even a thing so the assumption that Valve is only doing things now due to Epic is false. Valve has scrapped a HL3 and L4D3 project in the past as well. I haven't seen a change in the way steam conducts business either. If Epic is as successful as you seem to suggest, Valve just DGAF. Then again, I'm pretty sure Epic is only having moderate success. The way they operate now, buying exclusives to bring in gamers while having an extremely poor feature set isn't a long term sustainable business model and valve knows it. At some point they are going to have to attempt to reach feature parity.

 

[loading88]

The HL3/L4D3 projects were sidelined due to the development of Source 2 engine from what I've read. At least there is a ray of hope!

We absolutely see Half-Life: Alyx as our return to this world, not the end of it.

 

[texasrattler]

The HL3/L4D3 projects were sidelined due to the development of Source 2 engine from what I've read. At least there is a ray of hope!

We absolutely see Half-Life: Alyx as our return to this world, not the end of it.

Hope died when the lead creators left Valve. So the chance of a HL3 has long been dead. L4D3 on the other hand could have a very small chance cause of this update thats coming. A resurgance could/should happen. We will see if Valve GAF but we already know that answer.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I'm 100% sure half life alyx was in development before Epic store was even a thing so the assumption that Valve is only doing things now due to Epic is false. Valve has scrapped a HL3 and L4D3 project in the past as well. I haven't seen a change in the way steam conducts business either. If Epic is as successful as you seem to suggest, Valve just DGAF. Then again, I'm pretty sure Epic is only having moderate success. The way they operate now, buying exclusives to bring in gamers while having an extremely poor feature set isn't a long term sustainable business model and valve knows it. At some point they are going to have to attempt to reach feature parity.

You credit Alyx as not having been influenced by Epic, but also in the same statement state that HL3 and L4D3, two highly anticipated big name sellers, were both cancelled with a wimper. So why would Alyx actually make it to shelves?

Could it have something to do with competition springing up? I agree that Epic is having middling success at best, but your competitor doesnt need to be great, or even good, to force the A game out.

 

[Evernessince]

You credit Alyx as not having been influenced by Epic, but also in the same statement state that HL3 and L4D3, two highly anticipated big name sellers, were both cancelled with a wimper. So why would Alyx actually make it to shelves?

Could it have something to do with competition springing up? I agree that Epic is having middling success at best, but your competitor doesnt need to be great, or even good, to force the A game out.

Read these interviews on the game: https://www.geekwire.com/2020/behind-scenes-half-life-alyx-valve-revived-classic-franchise-vr-era/

Valve Explains Why Half-Life 2: Episode 3 Was Never Made - IGN

Valve explains the reasons behind one of the greatest cliffhangers in gaming history.

www.ign.com

I think it will clear up some things about Valve's intentions in general, not just Alyx.

 

[Lounds]

I still play this game mostly on custom servers 10vs10 etc.

Still waiting for L4D3 though was not expecting this.

Valve can't count to 3.