Turtle Rock Studios has revealed that Back 4 Blood, the spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, has been effectively shelved at the studio. This news comes just one month after the delivery of River of Blood, which was the final expansion for the high-octane, zombie-slaying, cooperative title.
Back 4 Blood launched in October 2021, dropping to a relatively positive reception and being appreciated and lapped by fans mourning the absence of the Left 4 Dead franchise. Now, Turtle Rock prepares to move on from Back 4 Blood, targeting pastures new and leaving the game behind.
Back 4 Blood Is Done 4 Good
It’s not all doom and gloom for Back 4 Blood fans, though. In the statement published on February 2nd, Turtle Rock explained that servers will remain online and Back 4 Blood will continue to be offered on the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium tiers and on Xbox Game Pass.
In the statement that was released on the studio’s website, the future of the firm was explained:
Turtle Rock Studios is actually pretty small for a studio making AAA games. We don’t have quite enough folks to continue working on Back 4 Blood content while we spin up another game – yes, another game! Given this, it’s time for us to put our heads down, get back in the lab, and get to work on the next big thing.
Turtle Rock Studios
There were mentions of a short-term ramping down for the studio, which was acquired by Tencent just two months after Back 4 Blood launched in 2021. There are no signs as to what comes next for Turtle Rock Studios, but given time, they’ll reveal what the ‘next big thing’ actually is.
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our coverage of The Day Before and the new trailer that was released for the game.
