On November 21,Valve released a trailerthat surprised the entire video game industry, showcasing the first full look into a new entry in the long dormantHalf-Lifefranchise. While the announcement was met with a myriad of reactions from the larger gaming community as a whole, it’s clear that Valve is working on some very big things after a stretch of relative quiet.
Now, just weeks after its monumental announcement ofHalf-Life: Alyx, there are already rumblings of another long-awaited new entry in a beloved Valve franchise. Momentum is spreading around a possible confirmation that a new entry in theLeft 4 Deadseries is going to be announced this Thursday at The Game Awards. However, much lifeHalf-Life: Alyxthis new entry into theLeft 4 Deadseries is also rumored to be a VR title.
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This possible confirmation originated on Twitter, after Tyler McVicker, the creator of theValve News Network YouTube channel, sent out a tweet on December 8. The tweet in question reads, “Videos are finally back tomorrow. Boneworks is out on Tuesday.Left 4 DeadVR is real. The game awards is in a few days, with newHalf-Life: Alyxnews. Get your minds ready, it’s about to blow.”
Understandably, some might wonder on what basis could these claims be legitimate or believable? In a recent video, McVicker breaks down his thought process and where he is getting all of this information from. Datamining a handful of recentDota 2and Steam VR Home updates have revealed a plethora of interesting bits and pieces of code that was inserted into these games and clients.
Most of the lines of code are related to the new titleHalf-Life: Alyx, but some specific lines of code may very well point to heLeft 4 Deadfranchise. Apparently, these lines of code recently found in “a VR specific piece of software that Valve actively updates” specifically relate toLeft 4 Dead 2and read as follows:
The first series of code that appear in lowercase text relate to NPCs, while the second half relate to weapon sound effects and textures. It is important to note that these lines of code have shown up in previous Valve titles before. The question is, why are these lines of code implemented into a VR-oriented update?
That is the basis of where this claim is coming from. McVicker goes in-depth with a full analysis in his video, so readers can check it out if they so desire as he does bring up some interesting points. The claim appears to have even more credence, with Valve’s recent push for VR which has manage to cause ashortage of VR headsets followingHalf-Life: Alyx’sannouncement.
Admittedly, it does seem plausible that Valve could follow up a newHalf-Lifeannouncement with another long-awaited revival likeLeft 4 Dead.Half-Life: Alyxis alreadygarnering praise from industry higher-ups like Phil Spencerof Xbox, who recently called the title “amazing.”
Though there are still some concerns from fans of theHalf-Lifeseries, centering aroundwhat the future ofHalf-Life 3could look likewithHalf-Life: Alyxand VR being Valve’s main focus for the time being. Unfortunately, until The Game Awards begins on December 12, fans of theLeft 4 Deadseries with have to keep their hopes up on baited breath.
