Valve says it's "absolutely not" working on anything Left 4 Dead related
Despite recent rumours.
Rumours that Valve is currently working on a new Left 4 Dead game may have been gathering pace of late, but your hopes are about to be dashed; the company has now stepped forward to categorically state that it's "absolutely not" doing any such thing.
Whispers of a new Left 4 Dead title have been heard from several sources in recent times. Back in December, Valve News Network's well-connected Tyler McVicker told Twitter followers that "Left 4 Dead VR is real", while, earlier today, Chinese HTC president Alvin Wang Graylin shared slides from a recent VR presentation making mention of Left 4 Dead 3.
Following that revelation, Valve has finally spoken up, presumably in an attempt to prevent fans from frothing themselves into an irreversible frenzy. In a statement provided to IGN, the company said it's "absolutely not working on anything L4D related now, and haven't for years."
"It's clear some people are having fun creating misinformation to spin up the community and other outlets," the company continued not entirely convincingly, "Unfortunately, for now a new L4D game is not something we're working on."
Of course, reports of a new Left 4 Dead game aren't exactly new. As far back as 2013, project leaks have been tumbling out into the open, and, in 2016, Left 4 Dead 3 details were discovered in an HTC Vive benchmark tool created by Valve using the Source Engine.
As recently as this week, in fact, Valve News Network's Tyler McVicker, while downplaying his earlier comments regarding a new VR title, shared leaked concept art created as part of preliminary work done for a third Left 4 Dead game back in 2012.
Although it didn't address specific rumours, Valve did admit to IGN that it had "briefly [explored] some Left 4 Dead next-gen opportunities a few years ago".
While Left 4 Dead 3 may not currently be in the works, Valve's highly anticipated Half-Life: Al obviously is - and its scheduled March 2020 release window is getting closer by the day. Perhaps if Al is sufficiently well-received we might eventually see Valve return to its much-loved Left 4 Dead series too - although, given the studio's unhurried approach to development, it would probably be unwise to expect a new title any time soon.