One Australian retailer is so desperate to get rid of its remaining copies ofBack 4 Bloodthat it’s marked them down to only $1. That rounds to about 68 American cents, showcasing the unpopularity ofTurtle Rock’s spiritual sequel toLeft 4 Dead.
Developer Turtle Rock Studios and publisher Warner Bros. Games releasedBack 4 Bloodin October 2021. The game takes place during a zombie apocalypse brought on by an extraterrestrial parasite called the Devil Worm. Players choose between 12 elite survivors called Cleaners and join four-person teams to battle the mutant hordes and defend the survivor community of Fort Hope.
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Despite an initially strong release,Back 4 Bloodfailed to live up to the high standards set by its predecessor’s legacy. One of the game’s most significant impacts wasreigniting interest inLeft 4 Dead 2. The game’s drop in popularity may be why Australian department store Big W marked the PlayStation 4 version ofBack 4 Blooddown to only $1 on clearance. The game initially retailed for $89.95 Australian or about $60.72 USD. That’s a discount of approximately 98.9% after less than two years sinceBack 4 Blood’s release.
Reddit user NotToddHoward snapped a picture of the shelf and shared it on r/gaming under the title “From the creators ofLeft 4 DeadEvolve.” Turtle Rock Studios, formerly known as Valve South, was responsible for both games as well as co-developingCounter-Strike: Zero ConditionandCounter-Strike: Source. However, the studio’s success arguably peaked with 2008’sLeft 4 Dead. After that, the studio’s most significant release was the asymmetrical multiplayer monster-hunting gameEvolve. However, whileEvolvewas well-liked by some, it ultimately fell short of expectations. After that, Turtle Rock mostly switched to developing VR titles until announcingBack 4 Bloodin 2019.
Back 4 Bloodsaw a mostly positive reception at launch. However, many players feel that the game was a poor substitute for theLeft 4 Dead 3that fans never got. Turtle Rock was partly to blame for these high expectations, as the game’s status asLeft 4 Dead’s spiritual successor was one ofBack 4 Blood’s major selling points. If the comments under NotToddHoward’s post are anything to go by, the attitude among manyLeft 4 Deadfans seem to be thatBack 4 Bloodwasn’t necessarily a bad game, but just not what Turtle Rock promised.
That said, it’s still beenmore than a decade sinceLeft 4 Dead 2, and Valve doesn’t seem to be in any rush to bring the series back. For its part, Turtle Rock has also moved on fromBack 4 Bloodand is reportedly working on a new project. Hopefully, the studio’s next game will prove more successful.
Back 4 Bloodis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
