A series of nearly 30 Left 4 Dead 3 screenshots have been reportedly leaked, giving us our first look at the canceled game that never saw the light of day. With the popularity of Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, it was all but certain that Valve was going to release a third game in the series. We now have the apparent opportunity to get a look at one of the few levels from the game that were ultimately never used in a commercial title.
At first glance, the Imgur album of the screenshots looks not all that different from a Counter-Strike map. While this might lead one to think that this is indeed a map from that game, a more careful examination of the map geometry shows that it is lacking many elements that would be necessary for a multiplayer game. Instead, one gets the impression that these Left 4 Dead 3 screenshots show off a linear level that was intended for a different kind of gameplay.
The images show off a desert map with varying kinds of scenery. Some areas are dark and claustrophobic, but there are also plenty of wide-open spaces that would have been perfect for a fight against a Tank or similarly-large enemy. It’s clear that these were taken from something that was very much a work-in-progress, especially since the skybox looks like it doesn’t quite have the right level of detail for a retail release.
Sadly, these purported Left 4 Dead 3 screenshots give us a look at a game that would have been welcomed by PC gamers around the world. You can learn more about these images and their backgrounds by watching the Valve News Network video about the screenshots and the investigation that went into finding them. On the upside, we’ll be able to get our co-op zombie shooter fix some time in the next few years thanks to the game’s original developers beginning work on the spiritual successor Back 4 Blood.
