The Creator of Left 4 Dead Reveals New Co-Op Action Game 4:Loop

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A new co-op game called 4:Loop was unveiled at The Game Awards. It’s a PlayStation 5 exclusive created by the original designer of Left 4 Dead, a well-loved four-player action game, and viewers were immediately interested.

Despite being released in 2008 and its sequel in 2009, Left 4 Dead remains a beloved game. It challenges players to work together as a team of four to survive through zombie-filled levels inspired by 28 Days Later. The game’s engaging mix of shooting action, teamwork, memorable characters, and a clever AI that throws enemies at you at the worst possible moments have kept it popular. As of early 2025, Left 4 Dead 2 still boasts an average of over 30,000 daily players.

Left 4 Dead Designer and Creator Returns with a New 4-Player Co-Op Game

A new game called 4:Loop was revealed at The Game Awards, a collaboration between Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bad Robot Games. It’s being developed by Mike Booth, the creative force behind the original Left 4 Dead and its innovative AI Director. While 4:Loop shares Left 4 Dead‘s four-player cooperative shooter gameplay, it’s set in a completely new science fiction universe. Interestingly, the game’s tagline, “Fail. To save the world,” suggests that simply surviving won’t be enough to win.

The game is a cooperative experience for four players, and while the full story is still unfolding, it’s clear that a new technology has gone awry, leading to the complete loss of the planet’s population during an alien invasion. The world is frozen in time, with characters caught mid-action, and a narrator reveals how quickly everything fell apart. Players will ironically use the very technology that caused the destruction to try and fix things, and dying is a core part of the gameplay.

Unlike Left 4 Dead, where losing means starting over, 4:Loop embraces failure as a core part of its story. The game’s trailer reveals that players, despite facing overwhelming odds, will be resurrected after each defeat, retaining the knowledge and skills gained from previous attempts. This allows them to continually improve their characters – with a persistent skill tree – and keep fighting until they finally succeed. The trailer showcases this cycle of defeat and rebuilding, suggesting players will continue to respawn and learn for as long as it takes to win.

In a recent interview with PlayStation, Mike Booth shared details about the upcoming game, 4:Loop. He explained that players now expect cooperative features like rescuing teammates, building on the foundation of games like Left 4 Dead. This allows the developers to create a more dynamic experience with less rigid paths and the ability to carry fallen allies. The game’s roguelike elements are designed to be smooth and fast-paced, meaning players won’t spend a lot of time building characters or feel penalized by setbacks.

The team’s main objective is to attract the attention of the alien Mothership, halt its mining activities on Earth, and ultimately destroy it. Players will improve their gear after each mission, progressing through three Acts to reach and defeat the Mothership. But, with a strong focus on learning from failures and repeated attempts, it’s clear this won’t be a simple or fast process.

This new game is the first of its kind to be directly created by the original designer of Left 4 Dead. Although Left 4 Dead has inspired other games, such as Back 4 Blood (made by the original studio), the original designer hadn’t been involved since leaving the company in 2012. Back 4 Blood didn’t quite satisfy players, and another game from the same studio, Evolve, initially did well but eventually lost its player base and servers. It’s still to be seen if this new game can recapture the excitement of Left 4 Dead, but with playtests planned, players won’t have to wait long to find out.

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2025-12-12 08:35