Turtle Rock Studios, the creative force behind Valve's Left 4 Dead, has announced a new co-op zombie-themed shooter. The game is titled Back 4 Blood (see what they did there?) and was announced via a press release given by Turtle Rock and publisher WB Games.
In the release, the studio describes Back 4 Blood as "[marrying] the best of what made the co-op zombie shooter so successful with new features and state-of-the-art technology". Details are fairly sparse right now regarding release dates and development timelines, but Turtle Rock is aiming for a PC, PS4 and Xbox One release, with a release for other platforms "[not] out of the question".
Gameplay-wise, Back 4 Blood is looking to fill the same blood-stained shoes as Left 4 Dead and the studio's subsequent game Evolve. It'll be a co-op zombie shooter with "a whole lot of new stuff" to set it apart from its competitors and predecessors. Exactly what that stuff is, Turtle Rock isn't ready to say yet, but it's encouraging interested parties to check out the game's official Discord channel for further updates as they happen.
What we do know from the Back 4 Blood FAQ is that the game will be a full AAA title, that it won't be a battle royale game, and that there will be a campaign as well as PvP content. Regarding microtransactions, Turtle Rock says its number one goal is "making the best, most fun and exciting game we can", and that any microtransaction system implemented in Back 4 Blood will be "something that the community feels good about". Turtle Rock has a history of making comments like this; when Evolve was in development back in 2014 the company claimed that game would have "the best DLC support ever".
The company has spoken at length about their process designing and releasing DLC too. In a blog post in 2015, Turtle Rock said it never released DLC that could have been included with the main game, and that DLC should "never split the community. Never". That said, the game is being published by WB Games, who don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to microtransactions and loot boxes in their games, considering Middle-Earth: Shadow of War. We'll just have to wait and see what approach Turtle Rock and WB will take closer to release.
Turtle Rock Studios is a game developer based in Lake Forest, California. The studio is made up of staff who worked on Counter-Strike, Left 4 Dead (as Valve South) and the multiplayer shooter Evolve. There's no release date as yet on Back 4 Blood, but since the game's only just been announced it's likely to be a while away.
Are you excited to play a new zombie shooter from the Left 4 Dead folks? Let us know in the comments below!
