Mike Booth, the creator of Left 4 Dead, has emerged on social media to reveal he’s piecing together an all-new four-player co-operative shooter that is ‘built on the foundations of what made L4D special.’ He promoted an application process inviting prospective fans to jump into the project as playtesters, giving an indication of how far along the game’s development is.
Booth boasts a storied tenure in the games industry, but he’s currently at Bad Robot Games, which has links to JJ Abrams, best known for his work in the film and television industries.
‘Teamwork, Tension, and Replayability’
In a post on the Left 4 Dead 2 Reddit channel, Mike Booth surfaced to promote his new game, but didn’t drop a title or any graphics.
He wrote:
I’m Mike Booth (creator of Left 4 Dead), and I’m excited to share that I’m working on a brand new project —a 4-player co-op shooter built on the foundations of what made L4D special.
If you enjoyed the teamwork, tension, and replayability of my past games, you’ll probably find this one interesting. It expands on the co-op formula in ways I’ve wanted to explore for a long time.
We’re still in the early stages of development, but we’re opening up playtests to a limited number of players. If you’re interested in joining us on this next adventure and helping shape the game early on, we’d love to have you involved.
(Thanks to Dexerto for the spot)
The comment section exploded with excitement as users realized that it could be a spiritual successor to the franchise that effectively died a death in 2009 when Left 4 Dead 2 was released and promptly marked the end of the series.
In 2021, Back 4 Blood was released by Turtle Rock Studios, but despite being marketed as a twisted successor to Left 4 Dead, it fell flat on its face relatively quickly.
Coincidentally, Mike Booth was working at Turtle Rock more than a decade ago, before leaving for Blizzard. That post eventually fell through, and Booth confirmed on social media that his project ‘wasn’t a good fit’ for Blizzard.
There’s definitely room for another Left 4 Dead-coded game, but will Mike Booth deliver from his position at Bad Robot? It’s worth stressing that at no point does Booth mention zombies, but you never know.
Let me know on the Insider Gaming forum if you’re excited for this game.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Battlefield 6 might not get ray tracing for a while
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
WB publishing? Clover field game?