The Left 4 Dead-inspired co-op shooter Back 4 Blood has been pushed back to October 2021. This is obviously a sad thing indeed BUT there is some good news. There will be an open Beta releasing this summer.
Back 4 Blood was initially scheduled to release this summer. However, the game will now debut first as a beta before being released in October [via PC Gamer]. The news was shared by Warner Bros, the game’s publisher, through the game’s official Twitter account:
“Turtle Rock Studios is working hard to make Back 4 Blood the best game it can possibly be at launch and the team needs more time to do this,” the publisher said on Twitter. “Therefore, we will release Back 4 Blood on October 12, 2021. We thank our community for its continued support and are excited to share that there will be an open beta this summer.”
— Back 4 Blood (@back4blood) March 25, 2021
You can pre-order Back 4 Blood in preperation for its new October release from the GameByte Shop.
If you’re a fan of Left 4 Dead, then you’re likely already aware of Turtle Rock’s upcoming spiritual successor. According to the studio’s founder, Chris Ashton, Back 4 Blood will expand upon the original Left 4 Dead by adding more story, missions and a brand new armada of zombies [via PC Gamer]. While Turtle Rock Studios’ last game, Evolve, fell flat for many fans, Back 4 Blood is set to be a grand return to what the developer does best. After all, they did make Left 4 Dead!
Warner Bros hasn’t provided a reason for the game’s delay, but the decision isn’t necessarily a bad sign. Back 4 Blood is an ambitious project, and it has a legacy to live up to. While fans are itching for a Left 4 Dead follow-up, the last thing anyone wants is for Back 4 Blood to be an uncanny knockoff. Hopefully, Turtle Rock is taking the time to refine Back 4 Blood’s experience, which will make it much more than just simply “Left 4 Dead 3”.
Back 4 Blood is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Steam on the 12th of October 2021. In the meantime here’s some gameplay from the alpha last year.