Counter-Strike 2 Hints at Yet Another Upcoming Valve Game

Counter-Strike 2 was officially announced by Valve earlier this week and some players have already received access to the limited beta test. But Counter-Strike 2 might not be the only game that is in the works by Valve. Players who are participating in the Counter-Strike 2 limited beta discovered references to Left 4 Dead 3.

Valve may finally return to its video game development roots

Valve is known for some of the most popular games of all time like Dota 2, Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. But the developer has an equal share of success in the AAA industry with titles like Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, and Portal under its belt. But recent games from the publisher like Dota Underlords and Artifact did not succeed, while some of its other recent releases are exclusive to virtual reality (VR) platforms. 

It is a running gag in the video game community that Valve president Gabe Newell cannot count to three because of how Half-Life 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 did not receive any sequels. Lord Gaben may have finally remembered that Valve is a game development studio at its heart and not just a games marketplace. But Left 4 Dead fans should not be excited about a new game just yet.

Left 4 Dead 2 was in production long before the Souce 2 engine was complete. While it is possible that the game may be in development again, the discovered Left 4 Dead 3 references could be from a shelved version of the game.

There were dozens of Left 4 Dead 3 screenshots that surfaced in 2019 from a 2013 version of the game. It is widely believed within the game development community that the game was canceled in 2017 because of the state of the Source 2 engine. It was reported that the game would feature eight playable characters and also include features like cross-play and VR. 

Left 4 Dead 3s’ assets were reportedly found in Back 4 Blood but there is no proof to substantiate the claim. Back 4 Blood was developed by Turtle Rock Studios, which is the same developer team that worked on the original Left 4 Dead. 

If you have been waiting for Left 4 Dead 3 there are signs indicating a sequel may be in the works, but we recommend waiting for an official statement by Valve.