The Development Timeline
Left 4 Dead 2 was announced in early June of 2009 at the E3 Press Conference. In that process, Left 4 Dead's website released corresponding information on the game, including plenty of items shown in the publicized Press Kit. While the internet may not reflect every detail of the game's early state, archived data still presents some interesting information on how Left 4 Dead 2 was developed as well as its deserving feedback.
1 June 2009
Left 4 Dead 2 Announced
Matching with the E3 Press conference, Left 4 Dead 2 received its official announcement by Valve on June 1st, 2009. This sparked a tremendous amount of conversation. The blog site is still heavily focused on the Left 4 Dead 1 at this point.
Rough Feedback
Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott Group Forms in response to the publicized announcement of Left 4 Dead 2 being too soon. You can still access the Steam Group here for historical purposes.
"The Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott is a group of individuals who have pledged to boycott Valve's upcoming release of Left 4 Dead 2 on November 17th, 2009. We have assembled a manifesto outlining the basic consensus of many members of our community."
- Walking_Target
2-4 June 2009:
Left 4 Dead 2 E3 Demo
Left 4 Dead 2 Beta was first revealed to the public for the first live playtesting at the Los Angeles Convention Center E3 2009. Left 4 Dead 2 was a surprise reveal at this event so advertising was not presented. This is the first time Left 4 Dead 2 was ever seen.
The Left 4 Dead 2 Beta Restoration Project is specifically based on this demo. For this build's information, please review the Betapedia or play for yourself here.
10 June 2009:
Valve Responds
Gabe Newell (Manager at Valve) responds to the Boycott's insane numerical count of 40,000+ members addressing the concerns of exclusive Left 4 Dead 1 support.
"Doing a sequel in one year is new for Valve, but providing ongoing support for our titles after the initial launch... has been part of our philosophy since Half-Life was released ten and half years ago. We see no reason to change that and will continue to support the over three million customers in the L4D community. Some in the community are concerned that the announcement of L4D2 implied a change in our plans for L4D1. We aren't changing our plans for L4D1."
- Gabe Newell
19 June 2009:
Left 4 Dead 1 Support
Left 4 Dead 1 receives its announcement for official Addon Support, as well as information regarding the Left 4 Dead 1 Game of the Year Edition release.
(products located on the bottom right). This is also Valve's first sign of support for Left 4 Dead 1 after Left 4 Dead 2's announcement.
5 July 2009:
Left 4 Dead 2 Preview Demo
Left 4 Dead 2 reveals a second build for preview testing at Central London Convention Center "The Dungeon". This build plays the last two levels of the Parish Campaign, reveals Rochelle's pink shirt, and shows the current Coach and Ellis survivor animations. New Press Kit imagery is also revealed at this time.
23-25 July 2009:
Comic Con Demo Preview
An updated Left 4 Dead 2 preview build is playable at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. This demo introduced the current Coach and Rochelle appearances, Left 4 Dead 1 Weapons, the Cricket Bat melee weapon, the current weapon ammunition count, and the new Spitter Special Infected (with different goo particles). Players will also be able to travel along the first two levels of the next campaign Swamp Fever.
13 August 2009:
Left 4 Dead 1 Crash Course Announcement
Left 4 Dead 1 receives an announcement for its ongoing support in addition to Left 4 Dead 2's development. GameTrailers TV conducted an exclusive interview with Valve to show Crash Course DLC while showcasing another separate build of Left 4 Dead 2. New reveals include the first look at Dark Carnival's Campaign, the Grenade Launcher, AK-47, Cricket Bat, and multiple campaign selections. Dark Carnival was not officially named at this time. Crash Course will then be released on September 29th, 2009. See the Crash Course release article here.
14 August 2009:
Boyctott Leaders Invited to Valve Headquarters
"As for L4D2, things seemed balanced and 'tight' and did not feel like a rushed job. What we can say with confidence is that the quality of gameplay in Left 4 Dead 2 is not in question, and it will only get better."
-Walking_Target
"Left 4 Dead 2 carries Left 4 Dead gameplay which we all love, and our long-requested bug fixes/content. It's exciting stuff..."
-Agent of Chaos
“It’s hard to express plans and designs that aren’t done to the point where you can show them yet. Even at E3, we had all this stuff, but we knew all these things that were going to be changed from what we were showing there. A good example is Rochelle. She’s drastically changed in her look from E3 to release. There are always refinements we always do, and we always knew we were going to have all this. But you’ve got to show the game at some point, and that’s what we did. We knew when we were first showing it that it was good and that we would be at this place now and be happy.”
- Chet Faliszek (Left 4 Dead Manager)
27 August 2009:
Valve Announces Multiple Left 4 Dead 2 Campaigns at PAX
Valve Developer Chet Faleszek confirms that Left 4 Dead 2 will have multiple booths located at the 2009 PAX Gaming Festival, each showcasing a different campaign (i.e. Dark Carnival and Swamp Fever). Left 4 Dead Website also extends the information from the Left 4 Dead 2 Website and continues to promote the Left 4 Dead 1 Game of the Year Edition.
4-6 September 2009:
PAX Demo Preview
Valve shows off another Left 4 Dead 2 Preview at the 2009 PAX Gaming Festival located at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, in Seattle, Washington. This demo introduced Ellis's current design, Katana and crowbar melee weapons, current shotgun textures, current pistol viewmodel, current Charger playstyle (unfinished here), and the Jockey Special Infected. The build also takes place in the first two levels of the Dark Carnival Campaign. This campaign still has unfinished areas and rooms. The website reflects the Pre-purchase capabilities now with finalized cover art.
3 October 2009:
Tokyo Demo Preview and Crash Course Release
Valve tours to the Tokyo Game Show for more to preview Left 4 Dead 2. Much like PAX, the builds shown at this convention were the Dark Carnival and Swamp Fever demos. No additional changes were reported here. The post acknowledges that the next tour will feature a "new game mode". In addition, the website shows the clown Zombie from the Left 4 Dead 2 Introduction cinematic that was never revealed yet. Left 4 Dead 1 also advertises the newly released Crash Course downloadable content. Left 4 Dead 1 also receives its new main menu background in reference to the Crash Course campaign update.
