Left 4 Dead
News, coverage and analysis tracking Left 4 Dead across the outlets.
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A whole host of Steam PC games can now run locally on a jailbroken PlayStation 5, including Portal, Left 4 Dead 2, and…
A jailbroken PlayStation 5 can now run Steam PC games locally through projects like Playden, which utilizes a port of Wine for the console. This allows titles such as Portal and Left 4 Dead 2 to function, though the software is in early alpha and carries risks associated with jailbreaking and using third-party clients.
Steam's Achievement Sets beta aims to stop new content breaking your completion status
Valve is beta testing Steam Achievement Sets, a new feature designed to prevent new content from breaking players' completion status. Developers can group achievements into sets, ensuring that progress is preserved even when new achievements are added later. This update also includes an improved achievements page with new filtering and comparison options.
'Little Tim is so obsessed with Gabe': Former Valve writer baffled by Epic CEO Tim Sweeney's attempts to…
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek criticizes Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney's recent announcement for the Epic Games Store, particularly Sweeney's perceived obsession with Gabe Newell and his yachts. Faliszek argues that Epic's approach to its launcher, including its focus on 'vibe coding' and comparisons to Steam, is baffling and alienates players seeking community and agency.
Valve roll out Steam Achievement Sets in beta, splitting up games’ perpetually growing trophy masses into DLC and season buckets
Valve has introduced Steam Achievement Sets in beta, allowing developers to group achievements into DLC, seasonal, or other categories. This feature aims to help players manage their completion progress more effectively, especially in games with ongoing content updates, and also includes an overhauled achievements page with improved filtering and comparison options.
Valve has just upgraded Steam Achievements, and you can try it out now
Valve has updated Steam Achievements with a new system called Achievement Sets, designed to better reflect the lifespan of modern games and allow for segmentation of achievements by game mode or DLC. The update also introduces time-limited Seasonal Achievements and ensures that archived achievements do not negatively impact a player's overall completion status. These changes are now available for testing in the Steam client beta.
Steam achievements are getting a huge overhaul, with separate sets for DLC and season passes, and an easy way to compare…
Valve has introduced a significant overhaul to Steam's achievement system in a beta update. Developers can now create separate achievement sets for base games, DLC, and seasonal events, preventing DLC completion from negatively impacting a player's overall 100% achievement status. The update also includes improved comparison features with friends.
"Little Tim is so obsessed with Gabe" – Ex-Valve dev not impressed by Epic's updated Steam rival or…
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek criticized Epic Games' recent update to its store launcher, particularly its reliance on generative AI and the company's communication strategy. Faliszek highlighted Tim Sweeney's perceived obsession with Gabe Newell and questioned the overall direction and feature set of the Epic Games Store compared to Steam's ecosystem.
Arc Raiders’ Huge Update Introduces Its Best Gadget Ever
Embark Studios has released a significant update for Arc Raiders, titled 'Frozen Trail,' introducing a new frosty map, a challenging raid-like event, new weapons, an overhauled skill tree, and customization options. The update also adds innovative gadgets like a Tether Launcher and a versatile grappling hook, reinforcing the game's 'tools, not rules' design philosophy and aiming to re-engage players with its co-op experience.
PC gaming has more than doubled in size over the last 4 years in Japan, report finds, with global Steam hits like Counter-Strike 2 and PUBG leading the charge
PC gaming revenue in Japan has more than doubled in the last four years, reaching 300 billion yen by 2025, a significant increase from 132.1 billion yen in 2021. Global hits like Counter-Strike 2 and PUBG: Battlegrounds are leading this growth, with free-to-play titles being particularly popular. While consoles from Sony and Nintendo traditionally dominate, the PC market is experiencing a substantial expansion.
Former Valve writer says "giant teams just don't work" in video game development, unless you're…
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek argues that large teams are detrimental to video game development, citing his experience with Left 4 Dead 2. He believes that while massive games like Grand Theft Auto 6 might necessitate huge workforces, most projects suffer from indecision and backtracking caused by excessive team sizes and remote work.
Valve devs "can't believe we get away" with such small updates for Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike,…
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek expressed surprise at how little content updates were needed for games like Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike 2 to satisfy players. He noted that even within Valve, teams were often amazed by the positive reception to minor updates compared to the substantial content delivered by other Valve projects.
Why Would You Turn a Perfectly Good Gameplay Video Into a GIF?
This article discusses the continued relevance of the GIF format in gaming despite its technical limitations compared to modern video codecs like MP4 and WebM. It highlights how GIFs are still useful for specific applications such as isolating short, repeatable gameplay moments for guides, bug reports, and community discussions, as well as for rapid visual scanning in game development testing.
How to throw a LAN party in 2026
This guide offers advice on hosting a successful LAN party in 2026, drawing from a recent personal experience. It covers essential tips such as renting tables and chairs, planning a game list, and ensuring proper power and network setups. The author emphasizes the enhanced social experience of playing games together in person compared to online multiplayer.
Steam achievements for multiple upcoming and unannounced games have leaked — and it's an ugly situation for…
Steam achievements for numerous upcoming and unannounced games, including Control Resonant, Kingdom Hearts 4, and Persona 6, have reportedly leaked via the third-party site Exophase. This incident, following a large prototype leak, highlights significant data security concerns for Valve and the Steam platform, creating a minefield of potential spoilers for consumers.
Valve staged its own Left 4 Dead 2 trailer "leak" to get around an ESRB ban, says former writer
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek revealed that Valve intentionally 'leaked' the trailer for Left 4 Dead 2 in 2009 to bypass ESRB restrictions on its violent content. The developer had a contentious relationship with the ratings board and various countries over the game's gore and profanity, leading to this unconventional marketing tactic. The game ultimately received an M rating and was released in Germany uncensored in 2021.
Left 4 Dead 2 Dev Admits Valve Intentionally Leaked Its Own Trailer After the ESRB Blocked It from Release
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek revealed that Valve intentionally leaked the trailer for Left 4 Dead 2 after it was blocked from release by the ESRB. This admission sheds light on the game's early marketing strategy.
The ESRB wouldn't let Valve release the cinematic trailer for Left 4 Dead 2, so what did they do? They "leaked" it, obviously
Valve intentionally 'leaked' the cinematic trailer for Left 4 Dead 2 after the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) refused to approve its release due to concerns over profanity and violence. Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek revealed the anecdote, explaining that the ESRB's strictness on marketing materials led Valve to release the trailer themselves.
Left 4 Dead 2 writer says Valve intentionally 'leaked' its cinematic trailer to get around ESRB rules: 'I…
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek revealed that the cinematic trailer for Left 4 Dead 2 was intentionally 'leaked' by the company to bypass the ESRB's rules. Valve faced scrutiny over the game's violence and language, and the ESRB had stricter regulations for marketing materials than for the games themselves.
20 years later, Left 4 Dead 2 lead admits Valve's team leaked their own trailer because the ESRB blocked them from officially releasing it: "We can't get in trouble for that now"
Valve veteran Chet Faliszek admitted that the development team for Left 4 Dead 2 intentionally leaked the game's trailer because the ESRB had blocked its official release due to graphic content. This tactic allowed the trailer to be seen, though it led to some language being toned down in the final game.
Valve experienced a massive 12TB leak
Valve has experienced a massive 12TB data leak, dubbed the 'teraleak', containing files from Steam titles between 2003 and 2013. The leak includes content for games like Team Fortress 2, Dota 2, Left 4 Dead, and early builds of Portal 2, as well as cancelled projects like F-STOP and an unused weapon from Half-Life 2: Episode 3. The data was reportedly accessed from a publicly accessible endpoint rather than through a hack, with Valve yet to issue an official statement.
