Valve Responds to L4D2 Boycott

Valve president Gabe Newell says that the company will continue to support the first Left 4 Dead even as it works on the surprisingly announced sequel.

I call upon the power of Quick Recap: At last week's E3, Microsoft unexpectedly announced Left 4 Dead 2, to hit shelves almost a year to the day after Left 4 Dead's release last November. Rather than feeling enthusiastic over a sequel to their beloved game, many L4D fans declared their disappointment, saying that the year-long sequel time was uncharacteristic of Valve and that it was a slap in the face of people who had expected the company to support its games long after release as it usually does: 25,000 of them have stated that they will not be buying the game.

Okay, are you with me so far? Good.

Speaking with Kotaku, Valve president Gabe Newell vowed that the company would continue to support and update L4D1 even with the sequel on the horizon: "Doing a sequel in one year is new for Valve. But providing ongoing support for our titles after the initial launch isn't - it 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," Newell elaborated. "In addition to the recently released Survival Pack, we are releasing authoring tools for Mod makers, community matchmaking, 4x4 matchmaking, and more new content during the coming months for L4D1 ... We also agree with our customers that there needs to be an interoperability plan for players of L4D1 and L4D2, as multiplayer games are driven by the cohesiveness of their community."

Meanwhile, Left 4 Dead writer Chet Faliszek said that, while he understood the immediate "gut reaction" from fans after the reveal, he was confident that as people learned more about the game, they would understand that "none of the additions [in Left 4 Dead 2] are trivial."

Of course, taking a slightly more cynical bent, in the wake of the false Dante's Inferno protest at E3... at least one journalist has wondered if the whole boycott might not be one gigantic viral marketing publicity stunt. Personally, I think it's unlikely - if it were a viral marketing scheme, the 25,000 fans who have signed the boycott are certainly genuine; any deception would be coming from the leaders. And those genuinely angry fans, if finding out that they were being used as part of a marketing ploy, would ... well, be genuinely angrier. That potential powderkeg would be waaaay more than anything resulting from the whole L4D2 fiasco as is.

Am I the only one who can't write L4D2 without thinking it sounds like a Star Wars droid?

(Via Gamasutra)

Permalink

Good, I'm glad they cleared this shit up. I was getting sick of the boycott people (of which I was never a part of).

The impossible has happened, someone made the boycotters look like even bigger morons!

I love you Gabe Newell, you're awesome. :D

I am sick of hearing about this, I mean Christ I dont care! So what if they are boycotting? Let them whine for 6 months. Just... just shut up about it!

Nice one, Gabe!

The boycott was rather pointless anyway.

Good for VALVe. They always know exactly what to say.

Hopefully now we'll see a reduction in the L4D2 boycott population. (Too much to ask?)

I bet 95% of the boycotters would of bought it anyway

I wonder if this might have been milder if Microsoft hadn't shot its wad off and jumped the gun. I can see with E3 being such a dinosaur anymore that something spectacular is needed, but this was probably the wrong thing to announce.
Either way, I'm hopeful with that news about interplayability between the two games, and more content for 1 is always welcome, but 2 is welcome, too. Game on!

CantFaketheFunk:
*snip*

Am I the only one who can't write L4D2 without thinking it sounds like a Star Wars droid?

No, you are not the only one.

As for the interview I'm glad that Valve cleared it up a bit. Personally I've been apprehensive and a bit nervous while at the same time kept thinking: 'Man, this is Valve. They wouldn't do that to me. Must be lack of communication.'

It would seem I was right.

Perhaps they should have been a bit quicker to say something and announced the game themselves. I think a lot of confusion and feelings of abandonment also comes from the whole deal with Microsoft announcing it. Though I may be wrong.

EDIT: Dammit! Forgot the not in the first paragraph. Sorry to the guy who quoted me and any confusion that may ensue.

Boycotters have been owned. Thank you, Mr. Newell.

teh_gunslinger:

CantFaketheFunk:
*snip*

Am I the only one who can't write L4D2 without thinking it sounds like a Star Wars droid?

No, you are the only one.

But now that he HAS mentioned it...
"come along, l4d2! we need to save the princess!"
be-bop-booop-bweeeooop
"yes, l4, she IS working on Episode 3! we must distract her!"

I swear, I thought that picture was a mix of TF2 and L4D....

I say give us some evidence. VALVe has been saying "we're getting content on the way!" but they've never even told us what exactly this content is. I'll believe them when they give us some tangible evidence.

Besides, nothing can remove the scar that is left behind the atrocity that VALVe have given to us with this monstrosity of a horrible decision of a sequel to Left 4 Dead! Their integrity has been demolished and nothing can ever bring it back!!!#$@!#$
[/sarcasm]

^{I hate Gabe Newell anyway...}

Psychosocial:
The impossible has happened, someone made the boycotters look like even bigger morons!

That's a bit harsh, they're only voicing their displeasure at paying full price for a game you can beat in four hours. It's an over reaction yes but the thinking behind it is understandable.

Anyway, inter operability sounds intersting, although it'll do nothing to quash fears this was supposed to be an update for L4D until someone changed their mind.

Ah well, all will become clear come release day.

FallToYourDeath:
I bet 95% of the boycotters would of bought it anyway

Exactly what I was thinking.

fix-the-spade:

Psychosocial:
The impossible has happened, someone made the boycotters look like even bigger morons!

That's a bit harsh, they're only voicing their displeasure at paying full price for a game you can beat in four hours. It's an over reaction yes but the thinking behind it is understandable.

The whole thing with Left 4 Dead is that you can replay it how many times you want to, because it never turns out the same way. So the game won't be "finished" until your attention span runs out, really.

Wait, how were we owned?

We got what we wanted - a promise of support for the old game, so we don't have to buy L4D2 right away.

Seems to me like people against boycotting got owned - all of you said nobody would notice it and nobody would care. Guess the higher-ups care.

Psychosocial:
The whole thing with Left 4 Dead is that you can replay it how many times you want to, because it never turns out the same way. So the game won't be "finished" until your attention span runs out, really.

It's something of a gimmick though.

If you've played through once you will know all the crescendo events, all the finales and all the important ammo drops. Having the specials/hordes/guns spawn in slightly different places isn't enough to merit calling every game different. If the director altered the available path through each map depending on your actions, that would be good, or even if different crescendo events took place on different play throughs.
As it stands though if you play through the game once you've still seen all there is to see.

Abedeus:
Wait, how were we owned?

We got what we wanted - a promise of support for the old game, so we don't have to buy L4D2 right away.

Seems to me like people against boycotting got owned - all of you said nobody would notice it and nobody would care. Guess the higher-ups care.

Uhm, they said from the very beginning that they would still be supporting the game..

fix-the-spade:

Psychosocial:
The whole thing with Left 4 Dead is that you can replay it how many times you want to, because it never turns out the same way. So the game won't be "finished" until your attention span runs out, really.

It's something of a gimmick though.

If you've played through once you will know all the crescendo events, all the finales and all the important ammo drops. Having the specials/hordes/guns spawn in slightly different places isn't enough to merit calling every game different. If the director altered the available path through each map depending on your actions, that would be good, or even if different crescendo events took place on different play throughs.
As it stands though if you play through the game once you've still seen all there is to see.

I were more of talking about versus, anything can happen in versus. :P

Jumplion:
I swear, I thought that picture was a mix of TF2 and L4D....

It's the guy's shirt that does it. Anyway, as long as there is comaptability between the games and they keep updating L4D1 I'll be happy. Kudos to Newell for making the boycotters look like idiots.

CantFaketheFunk:

Am I the only one who can't write L4D2 without thinking it sounds like a Star Wars droid?

No, you are not.

I tried to find the link to another thread where I said that, but... I already said that. Hilarious shit, there.

Actually, I think only time will tell when it comes to this. You don't expect Valve to come up and say "muhwahahaha, we're evil, screwing you, and enjoying every second of it". Any counter-statement by a company is going to be professional and optimistic sounding.

Let me be honest, I do not play L4D, I do not own it. Largely for lack of anyone to play with and not having a working mic. HOWEVER I cannot see how they can viably support TWO versions of the same game, one of which is going to be markedly inferior, without ultimatly shooting themselves in the foot/competing with themselves.

Honestly, a year between sequels isn't that big a deal, a lot of companies have done similar things. It's simply new for Valve.

It will be interesting to see how it all pans out, but I'm just watching from the sidelines.

Honestly, Valve will get me more interested in the franchise if they ever come out with customizable character models as opposed to choosing from one of a tiny selection of avatars.

>>>----Therumancer--->

Therumancer:

HOWEVER I cannot see how they can viably support TWO versions of the same game, one of which is going to be markedly inferior, without ultimatly shooting themselves in the foot/competing with themselves.

My thoughts exactly. I can't make sense of it.

What they should've done, in my oppinion, is released it as an expansion. Same game, but all the new features. AI Director 2.0 and the new Special Infected would be put into the old game. Characters would then alternate depending on what map you're playing - aka, if you're playing the old one, you'd play with Zoey, Bill, Francis and Louis, but if you're playing on the new maps, you'd have the new cast to choose from. Weapons would be trickier, I guess, I doubt it's impossible to add a few new guns and animations to go with them to the existing characters.

Honestly, I'm a bit torn whether or not I'll actually buy the new game. The new characters don't seem as interesting as the old cast. Melee weapons... Eh, if you're allowed to carry a gun and a melee weapon, it removes the whole 'Got to save ammo'-aspect from the game and turns into a mindless spray-and-pray fest. Not so much survival from the survivors part anymore - now it's a game of what zombie can survive for the longest.

But whatever, I'm sure Valve's got this planned out. They're just not making a whole lot of sense at the moment.

Rhayn:

Therumancer:

HOWEVER I cannot see how they can viably support TWO versions of the same game, one of which is going to be markedly inferior, without ultimatly shooting themselves in the foot/competing with themselves.

My thoughts exactly. I can't make sense of it.

What they should've done, in my oppinion, is released it as an expansion. Same game, but all the new features. AI Director 2.0 and the new Special Infected would be put into the old game. Characters would then alternate depending on what map you're playing - aka, if you're playing the old one, you'd play with Zoey, Bill, Francis and Louis, but if you're playing on the new maps, you'd have the new cast to choose from. Weapons would be trickier, I guess, I doubt it's impossible to add a few new guns and animations to go with them to the existing characters.

Honestly, I'm a bit torn whether or not I'll actually buy the new game. The new characters don't seem as interesting as the old cast. Melee weapons... Eh, if you're allowed to carry a gun and a melee weapon, it removes the whole 'Got to save ammo'-aspect from the game and turns into a mindless spray-and-pray fest. Not so much survival from the survivors part anymore - now it's a game of what zombie can survive for the longest.

But whatever, I'm sure Valve's got this planned out. They're just not making a whole lot of sense at the moment.

I would agree with those thoughts on the whole but I can't say I have that much faith that it will all just work out in the end. I just cant see how putting out a sequel to a game like l4d in less than a year can pan out well. I also don't see how their statement has changed any thing. Just saying trust us is not showing any one up or making them look stupid in any form. I guess I will wait and see but it gives me an uneasy feeling, as its not there plot making me want an other one of these I mean I am still shooting zombies right?

300lb. Samoan:

teh_gunslinger:

CantFaketheFunk:
*snip*

Am I the only one who can't write L4D2 without thinking it sounds like a Star Wars droid?

No, you are the only one.

But now that he HAS mentioned it...
"come along, l4d2! we need to save the princess!"
be-bop-booop-bweeeooop
"yes, l4, she IS working on Episode 3! we must distract her!"

I meant to say that he was not alone. My bad. That's what I get for rewriting stuff. Sorry for the confusion.

Also: Don't distract them dammit! :P

Jumplion:
I swear, I thought that picture was a mix of TF2 and L4D....

I say give us some evidence. VALVe has been saying "we're getting content on the way!" but they've never even told us what exactly this content is. I'll believe them when they give us some tangible evidence.

Well first there's this

http://www.l4d.com/blog/post.php?id=2510

Today we are opening the beta of the Left 4 Dead Authoring Tools to the public. It is available as a free download for all owners of the PC version of Left 4 Dead, and can be found under the "Tools" tab in Steam.

I'd like to point out this is something that many people who have whinged about the lack of an SDK seem to have missed, especially since it came before the announcement. In fact, having just discovered this I wish I had discovered it sooner to shut up one particularly whiny person claiming he had waited forever for the SDK and now wasn't going to get it (bear in mind this was within 24 hours of L4D2's announcement, hence a massive jump to a conclusion. Anyway moving on....) But of course a mere beta of the L4D SDK wouldn't placate them anyway, so let's see what other "tangible evidence" we can find. Guess I'll go back to the direct source of the moment I can definitively say the boycott became silly, with this interview from Chet Faliszek.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/06/before-its-time-valve-explains-left-4-dead-sequel-to-ars.ars

The SDK will be coming out of beta in the next week or so, and Faliszek points to that to prove that Left 4 Dead will still be updated. Also, all the maps created with the SDK will work on the sequel. As for playing old maps with old characters but new creatures and melee? "We have some additional work to do there, we're talking about how to do that. That's what we want to do."

While he claims it's not an insurmountable amount of work, mixing old and new content would require new dialog to be recorded for the situations with the new enemies and weapons, as well as new animations. It's something Valve wants to do, but they're not sure when it will be accomplished.

So, apparently, they have the SDK, the interconnectibility, and they're working on expanding on that to the point that they're practically cross-compatible. Yes, it sounds a little hokey, but unlike the 25k people who decided to express their unwillingness to buy very loudly and bitch about not being given an SDK they already had available to them in a misguided attempt to force policy change, well, let's just say I'm willing to sit and wait, then criticize if it doesn't work. After all, if I acted like these people I'd have been marching around the VALVe campus with a placard saying "GET YOUR MMO OUT OF MY TF2!" as soon as the Spy/Sniper update hit.

Also regarding L4D1's apparent inferiority to L4D2. So far, what I've seen is that they're not really replacing anything, just expanding. Again I can fully understand why people would not want to pay for something that would end up feeling like an expansion pack more than a full game, but then again I remember a time when everybody would line up to buy expansion packs, so maybe i'm just not completely detatched from that model just yet.

AceDiamond:

After all, if I acted like these people I'd be marching around the VALVe campus with a placard saying "GET YOUR MMO OUT OF MY TF2!"

They already did, you can now unlock the new items via acheivment milestones like you were able to previously.

AceDiamond:

Also regarding L4D1's apparent inferiority to L4D2. So far, what I've seen is that they're not really replacing anything, just expanding. Again I can fully understand why people would not want to pay for something that would end up feeling like an expansion pack more than a full game, but then again I remember a time when everybody would line up to buy expansion packs, so maybe i'm just not completely detatched from that model just yet.

Those expansion packs were never priced as full games. They tended to range between 20-30$

AceDiamond:
Condense

Okay, and SDK is good for those modder people, but is that all? Surely there's something else, an SDK can't be the only "support" that VALVe is giving to the original L4D?

Jumplion:

AceDiamond:
Condense

Okay, and SDK is good for those modder people, but is that all? Surely there's something else, an SDK can't be the only "support" that VALVe is giving to the original L4D?

Well, with the release of the SDK, third part maps and mods will be created by third party mod developers for everyone in the community to enjoy, so the release of the SDK is actually good for everybody. In just about every valve game that's been released, it tends to be the third party content which becomes arguably the most popular. If it becomes good enough, valve adopts it as their own, hence counterstrike.

Crash486:

Jumplion:

AceDiamond:
Condense

Okay, and SDK is good for those modder people, but is that all? Surely there's something else, an SDK can't be the only "support" that VALVe is giving to the original L4D?

Well, with the release of the SDK, third part maps and mods will be created by third party mod developers for everyone in the community to enjoy, so the release of the SDK is actually good for everybody. In just about every valve game that's been released, it tends to be the third party content which becomes arguably the most popular. If it becomes good enough, valve adopts it as their own, hence counterstrike.

Sure, but that's third party support. Doesn't that kind of defeat the whole purpose of everyone (mainly the boycotts) wanting VALVe to give the support?

only gives me more reason to think they're lazy :D

Abedeus:
Wait, how were we owned?

We got what we wanted - a promise of support for the old game, so we don't have to buy L4D2 right away.

Seems to me like people against boycotting got owned - all of you said nobody would notice it and nobody would care. Guess the higher-ups care.

To be honest, the idiot boycotters owned themselves. Had they done an ounce of research before starting their boycott, they would have seen that nearly every "concern" they evidenced, (aside from the stupid crap like fiddle music) had already been addressed by Vavle developers. Gabe has actually said nothing new here, he's just reiterated what his developers said previously.

Jumplion:

Crash486:

Jumplion:

AceDiamond:
Condense

Okay, and SDK is good for those modder people, but is that all? Surely there's something else, an SDK can't be the only "support" that VALVe is giving to the original L4D?

Well, with the release of the SDK, third part maps and mods will be created by third party mod developers for everyone in the community to enjoy, so the release of the SDK is actually good for everybody. In just about every valve game that's been released, it tends to be the third party content which becomes arguably the most popular. If it becomes good enough, valve adopts it as their own, hence counterstrike.

Sure, but that's third party support. Doesn't that kind of defeat the whole purpose of everyone (mainly the boycotts) wanting VALVe to give the support?

only gives me more reason to think they're lazy :D

Honestly, I don't care anymore. This whole situation has turned me off from the game completely, and I'm just not going to buy it. The escapist is obviously full of kids in their adolescent know it all phase, who have absolutely no concept of money or good business practice. Someday they'll grow out of it and learn to realize when they're being taken advantage of. Until then, its just not worth the energy debating with them, its literally like arguing with a wall.

Kwil:

Abedeus:
Wait, how were we owned?

We got what we wanted - a promise of support for the old game, so we don't have to buy L4D2 right away.

Seems to me like people against boycotting got owned - all of you said nobody would notice it and nobody would care. Guess the higher-ups care.

To be honest, the idiot boycotters owned themselves. Had they done an ounce of research before starting their boycott, they would have seen that nearly every "concern" they evidenced, (aside from the stupid crap like fiddle music) had already been addressed by Vavle developers. Gabe has actually said nothing new here, he's just reiterated what his developers said previously.

I think that was Microsoft who has announced the L4D. I, for one, am never going to believe blindly in what M$ says. Even about W7 I had to see it to believe the hype.

As possibly the world's biggest Valve fanboy, I'm giving props to them on this one. No matter what the problem is, Valve always seems to solve it.

I own L4D but I have no intention of buying L4D2