Left 4 Dead 3 is “absolutely” not in development, says Valve

Yesterday, we noted some rumors that Left 4 Dead 3 was back in development, perhaps as a VR title. But, as usual, it turns out that’s not the case. Hopes and dreams for a new co-op zombie title were shattered when Valve released a statement to IGN stating that the rumors were misinformation.

No Left 4 Dead 3

“We’ve seen rumors to this effect for the last couple of months,” Valve said in their statement. “We did briefly explore some Left 4 Dead next gen opportunities a few years ago. But we are absolutely not working on anything L4D related now, and haven’t for years.”

These statements followed recent rumors, specifically from Valve News Network (which isn’t associated with Valve), that claimed to have leaked Left 4 Dead 3 screenshots. It’s been a common theme over the last few years. Someone releases artwork or rumors of L4D3, everyone gets worked up into a frenzy, then Valve steps in to calm things down.

So there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth. Left 4 Dead 3 is not in development.

…but maybe?

That said, there is another interesting wrinkle in all this. HTC’s China president recently had a presentation on VR that included a little tidbit of information in one of his slides. Namely, it reads, “Valve HL Alyx/LFD3 will drive consumer and AAA studio interest.”

If you don’t know, HTC partnered with Valve to release the HTC Vive, so it’s possible that the President has inside information about upcoming Valve titles. However, I’m inclined to believe Valve on this one. A lot tends to get lost in communication, and Valve did say they explored possibilities. It’s not too unbelievable to think that a business presentation slide might not have the most recent or accurate information.

For now, we just have to wait and see. If Half-Life: Alyx proves successful, it might encourage Valve to revisit its other dormant franchises.