4 January 2009
Ferry

Left 4 Dead 2 in Valve’s future! DLC on the way for Left 4 Dead

At E3 2009 Valve confirmed Left 4 Dead 2 is coming exclusively to Xbox 360 and PC, when it’s released on November 17, 2009.

The title adds melee combat to enable deeper co-operative gameplay, with items such as a chainsaw, frying pan, axe, baseball bat, and more. Check it out in this first Left 4 Dead 2 trailer:

“A large part of how Left 4 Dead became 2008’s top-selling new IP on Xbox 360 and the PC was the custom-tailored gameplay made possible by the AI Director,” said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. “With the knowledge gained from creating the original, new technology, and a passionate team, L4D2 will set a new benchmark for cooperative action games.”

Introducing the AI Director 2.0, L4D’s dynamic gameplay is taken to the next level by giving the Director the ability to procedurally change weather effects, world objects, and pathways in addition to tailoring the enemy population, effects, and sounds to match the players’ performance. The result is a unique game session custom fitted to provide a satisfying and uniquely challenging experience each time the game is played.

Featuring new Survivors, boss zombies, weapons, and items, Left 4 Dead 2 offers a much larger game than the original with more co-operative campaigns, more Versus campaigns, and maps for Survival mode available at launch.

Supported by a $10+ million marketing campaign, Left 4 Dead has sold over 2.5 million retail copies since it was released in November of 2008. Left 4 Dead 2 is targeted for release on Xbox 360 and the PC on November 17, 2009, and will be launched worldwide with a multi-million dollar marketing campaign across TV, Outdoor, and Online.

“Left 4 Dead was backed by our most aggressive advertising campaign to date, and resulted in a top 5 showing on two platforms during holiday 2008,” said Doug Lombardi, VP of marketing at Valve. “Left 4 Dead 2 is a larger game and will be supported with even more consumer and retail advertising programs than the original.”

Valve’s Chet Faliszek, known as one of the writers on the dialog in Left 4 Dead and Portal, was recently interviewed about the future of the Left 4 Dead franchise and what it was like working on the shooter.

He mainly talks about how the upcoming downloadable content would include more versus stories, but then switches to an interesting comment about the storyline of the game and what we presume to be that of the sequel, Left 4 Dead 2. To quote: “The backstory, in a way, would have to be something different. I don’t wanna play the backstory in a game, like where the infection came from and stuff.

Uhm, but I think we definitely have plans to continue on talking about the infection, the world. Because that’s the interesting thing right? How the world reacts to it, how it all falls apart or pulls together. (Let’s gonna go out there and fight! Alright!) But some people (I think) are of the mind that they wanted a little more story, some (you know) seeing the bulk of you are happy with the way it was told. So I think our plan is to just keep updating the game. Keep exploring the world and what’s going on in it.”

I don’t know about you, but count me in for more co-op action! — Hear the full interview over at Kotaku.

Update: Now that the game’s been released, check out our Left 4 Dead 2 codes guide for PC.

2 June 2009 22:50
Recon

I really hope valve change the new girl character, its not that i dont like black people its just that i like no black chicks better, coz if im gonna play a game i might aswell play a game with characters i like, but i dont want to be a racist either, and really hope that they make the zombies dirtier coz they look too clean like teamfortress 2 and the characters too, and hope that the maps areant always at DAYLIGHT it shoulde be like 1st map around 7am 2nd at 12nn and 3rd map at 3pm and 4th map at 6pm and the finale should be at 12 midnight to get the feeling of your really traveling for your survival coz a campaing always at day seems not scary , i think there should be night and day maps, but 1st of all , they should change the characters especially the new girl one

2 June 2009 22:56
Recon

i hate that that francis and zoey are gone !!!! they are the best video game characters ever!!!!! but they should atleast change the new girl character

3 June 2009 08:55
dodow1234

yeah next time you could add the ability to build your own house, your furniture, and the ability to change the name of the game. Welcome Sims4

3 June 2009 09:39
Demetrius

the new zombie Charger is like a specil infected but insted of specel abilites like ponching and vomiting it is many for melee

3 June 2009 20:27
Xibx

I don’t care about the characters… just give us bloodbath.

4 June 2009 07:20
Zach

I hate all the new characters i wish they had kept with the old ones they were so classic and cool
New game looks to clean and i also h8 that black chick she looks ugly
(no racism intended)

4 June 2009 07:59
I hate the black girl!!!

I hate the black girl, she sucks…

But i think im gonna like the fat black guy, but if his not funny, then he can go to hell! >.<

4 June 2009 10:45
bjorn

who wane tel me were i kan buy left 4 dead 2 plz say it on bjorn_benji@hotmail.com

5 June 2009 00:36
wiyaka

ya the black chick looks retarded? the big fat black seems, cool and if the whole game during day that will be vary gay. it need sum dark night spookyness and scary pop ups. the black guy from l4d 1 and zoey were cool. francis and the old guy were stupid.

5 June 2009 10:19
Some Guy

For those complaining about the black chick, go look up the concept art, she’s hot. I feel in the transition to 3-D these characters lost their personality, but you have to remember Valve went through a few models before settling on the final ones for Left 4 Dead. In the concept art (for L4D2) all the characters are awesome. And they seem a little bit less stereotypy, which to me is not a bad thing. I realize that was kind of the appeal of the characters in the first one, Valve was kind of making an homage to horror movies’ constant use of stereotypes but I like the fact these seem like real people. It is more believable and I don’t see that as a bad thing. Plus, read their descriptions too, it’s awesome:

* Nick – a gambler and conman
* Rochelle – a reporter of a local cable company
* Coach – a high-school football coach
* Ellis – a young male mechanic

Sounds good to me. In fact, here’s a quick link for the art I’m talking about:
http://www.kokeytechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/left-4-dead-2-cast.jpg