‘Left 4 Dead 3’ Supposed Employee Mistake Just a Clever Way to Tease the Game, Some Critics Note!

Late in June, a Valve employee by the name of Tristan Reidford supposedly leaked by accident a screenshot of the multiplayer zombie shooter video game “Left 4 Dead 3” when he posted a tutorial for importing source engine assets into the Destinations platform.

One of the images included a list of his favorite folders and one of them is a “Left 4 Dead 3” folder.

Reidford happens to be a conceptual artist working for American game developer Valve Corporation, and he reportedly made the mistake of not double-checking his screenshots before uploading them for the purpose of showing an unrelated Destinations Workshop tutorial.

The tutorial does not contain any materials, information, or assets from “Left 4 Dead 3” but some of those who looked closely into the screenshots saw one of Reidford’s most recently accessed folders and it had a filename of ‘Left4Dead3,” notes VG 24/7.

As a result, it triggered speculations that the artist may also be working on “Left 4 Dead 3.” It would have been a plain oversight on Reidford but shortly thereafter, the same folder has been removed from the tutorial.

While there has been no official statement by either Reidford or Valve Corporation, the screenshot was quietly replaced with a nearly-identical one with the main difference being the lack of the ‘Left4Dead3’ folder on his recently accessed file list.

An honest mistake or a major tease

It could be an honest mistake on the part of Reidford but some critics are saying that it could also be intentional on the part of Valve Corporation to keep the excitement about “Left 4 Dead 3” going online.

For one, the accidental screenshot was first spotted by ValveTime which is a Valve fansite. The tidbit of information was also found in a tutorial for Destinations Workshop Tools.

The ‘Left4Dead3’ folder is a dead giveaway, which made critics doubt if indeed it was uploaded by accident.

In fact, the critics are saying that the file directory has been scrolled down with the sole purpose of displaying the ‘Left4Dead3’ folder, which is an obvious tease by Valve.

Although it has not said anything official about the development or release date of “Left 4 Dead 3,” Valve has practically made it a way of life to tease gamers about the game for so long that some already think that it was only meant to keep the level of excitement and anticipation to the game hot until the game development company is ready to unveil it.

Working on the game in the guise of ‘Left 4 Dead 2’

Regardless whether the screen shot was released intentionally or by accident, what seems confirmed is that Valve Corporation is now busy working on the development of the game.

According to the YouTube channel Valve News Network, “Left 4 Dead 2” has been updated a number of times already, which led to speculations that Valve has been working on the third installment of the game under the guise of the last entry in the series in order to avoid suspicion and detection, details Crave Online.

It has also been found out that Reidford has also been very active on the beta update on “Left 4 Dead 2” which makes his ‘accidental leak’ not an accident at all.

Reidford’s Steam profile also shows that “Left 4 Dead 2” is his most-played game in recent weeks alongside the Destinations app.

Critics believe that his sudden interest in a seven-year-old game is surprising but it is possible that he could be looking for inspiration or pointers for the ongoing development of “Left 4 Dead 3.”

Valve Corporation has yet to say an official statement or pronouncement regarding the development of the highly-anticipated “Left 4 Dead 3” but rumors are getting louder and louder that the game might come out to the gaming consoles next year.