The fine folks behind Left 4 Dead are going back to their roots with Back 4 Blood, a brand new co-operative zombie FPS. Let’s get the big question out of the way immediately: is this Left 4 Dead 3? Turtle Rock Studios says no, this will be a brand new IP. That said, this does appear to be aiming for the same style of gameplay, so it seems like this will be more of a spiritual successor of sorts.
Back 4 Blood will take a team of players and pit them against the hordes of the undead. It’s been a long time since the heydey of Left 4 Dead and there’s plenty of competition, but Turtle Rock Studios are the guys who made this style of gameplay work in the first place. They intend to focus on what made their smash hit co-op FPS with Valve work and improve on the formula in innovative ways that can survive in the current gaming climate.
“We are not resting on any past laurels. Our goal is to take all we’ve learned and push forward. We know that’s a tall order,” said Turtle Rock Studios Co-founder and Creative Director Phil Robb in the announcement for Back 4 Blood. “We’re growing the team considerably because we’re stepping up to the biggest challenge in this studio’s history. We know this title has to stand out and we fully intend to make that happen.”
An F.A.Q. on the game has some more details. Back 4 Blood is planned to launch as a premium title on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Aside from that, we know this game is going to be a co-op zombie FPS. We don’t know what the game will look like, what it will cost, and whether or not it will have any microtransactions (or what they might look like). For now, Turtle Rock Studios is looking to announce to the industry that they’re spinning up a big project. Hopefully, they can attract some talented developers (along with help from their partner WB Games) and revive a genre that could use a little love.
