With the numerous speculations going around in the internet, whether they're leaked concept arts or Valve moving to a new office, fans are hoping against all hope in seeing or hearing about the next "Left 4 Dead" game. Although no official news has surfaced yet, they believe that the third may possibly still happen.
Speaking of leaks, there was actually one post from the Valve Time forum that revealed that Valve employee Tristan Reidford may have unintentionally (or maybe quite the opposite?) exposed a folder labeled "left4dead3." Screenshots revealed that it came from a tutorial video for the Destinations Workshops Tools, an editing program for Valve's source material.
Digital Spy mentions that the release date should be anytime later this 2016. However, without any official reports from Valve and with this year already heading to the fourth quarter, "Left 4 Dead 3" may be released sometime next year instead.
It would be likely that the departure of developer Turtle Rock Studios, which assisted Valve in developing the first two "Left 4 Dead" games, may have contributed to the delay of the possible third title. Around February 2015, the studio left Valve to create "Evolve," which led fans to believe that the possible "Left 4 Dead 3" would never see the light of day.
So far, details on the concept and gameplay have been sparse but also promising. In accordance with the previous trend of the "Left 4 Dead" series, the third game would be featuring four protagonists, three males and one female that players will control. The reported characters are 24-year old caucasian Katherine, black gangster Irvin, famous Kenpo fighter Garrett Jr. and comic book nerd Keenan.
Setting-wise, Valve mentioned that the possible third game would sort of prequel and sequel of "Left 4 Dead 2" at the same time. The story might take place a one month after zombie outbreak, which is somewhat earlier than the events of the second game. The game will also consist of six campaign labeled as Crashland, Impasse, Inquisitor Land, Early Destination, Cliff Hanger and No Mercy.
Another possible inclusion in the gameplay is that the backpack mechanics might slightly altered, which the characters can carry one specific each.
Fans have also hoped that more and more content will be included. Some gave suggestions such as customizing weapons with mods, allowing players to explore an open world, an interactive environment, character customization, and a brand new (and better) story.