The Game Awards kicked off on Thursday evening with several world premieres featuring upcoming, high profile titles. One cinematic trailer showed off Back 4 Blood—a 4-player co-op zombie killing game and spiritual successor to Valve's popular Left 4 Dead franchise, but Turtle Rock Studios head Chris Ashton had a second, special surprise for Back 4 Blood fans.
Ashton joined The Game Awards host, Geoff Keighley on stage (at a safe social distance) to drop a meaty gameplay reveal trailer for the upcoming zombie survival horror title. Though Back 4 Blood was originally announced in spring of 2019, this is the most in-depth look at the game the developer has revealed so far.
Prior to showing off the trailer, Ashton stated Turtle Rock's vision for Back 4 Blood was to "go bigger" with Left 4 Dead's concept, incorporating more enemies, missions, and playable characters into the zombie-blasting framework. Turtle Rock Studios split from Valve in 2011, and many of the original developers who worked on Valve's Left 4 Dead series are hard at work on this new spiritual successor. So far, Back 4 Blood seems to be shaping up to be a welcome resurrection of Left 4 Dead's long-dormant formula.
The gameplay trailer kicks off in a safe room decorated with desperate graffiti and four survivors who jump straight into the fray against a horde of worm-infested zombies. The early part of the pre-alpha trailer features gunplay that will feel familiar to any L4D fans, right down to the witty quips and callouts exchanged by the four survivors. Things kick into a higher gear about one minute in, however, with an enormous, 2o-foot tall zombie juggernaut emerging from the asphalt.
Seemingly unable to fell the goliath, the survivors retreat to a freeway tunnel, only to be met with another wave of zombies while still being pursued by the colossal threat. After what appears to be a total party wipe in progress, the trailer cuts between bite-sized shots of gameplay in a variety of weapons, locales, and "special" zombies that seem closely reminiscent of those in Left 4 Dead 2. Players have long asked when will Left 4 Dead 3 be arriving, but Back 4 Blood seems to render the question moot.
While the trailer certainly whets appetites for a next-gen zombie-slaying experience, eager gamers may want to reinstall Left 4 Dead 2 in the interim to enjoy new levels and mods to ease the wait.
As of last spring's initial development announcement, Back 4 Blood is set to feature a campaign mode and co-op play, but no battle royale. Little else, aside from what is on-display in the trailers, is known about the forthcoming title. But the trailer did conclude with a release date slated for next summer.
Back 4 Blood is currently in-development, scheduled for release on June 22nd, 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.