'Left 4 Dead 3' release date news: Valve teases sequel; 'L4D3' characters, campaigns leaked?

Nearly seven years since the release of "Left 4 Dead 2," the latest installment in Valve's "L4D" franchise, the video game publisher could finally be gearing up to release a third game, the rumored "Left 4 Dead 3."

"Left 4 Dead 2," which was released in November 2009, received praise from game journalists but was hounded by technical issues. Still, "L4D2" has been a commercial success, with millions of units sold across various platforms.

Due to the success of "L4D" and "L4D2," fans are expecting Valve to release another installment for the cooperative first-person shooter video game franchise.

Unfortunately, the video game publisher/developer has kept mum about the possibility of another sequel. The only semi-official update about a potential "Left 4 Dead 3" from Valve came in July this year, when Valve employee Tristan Reidford appeared to have accidentally leaked the information that the company is indeed working on "L4D3."

According to VG 24/7, Reidford gave "L4D" fans a glimmer of hope that a third sequel is in the offing when he posted a tutorial on how to import source engine assets into Destinations Workshop Tools.

The Valve employee uploaded several images with the tutorial. One of those images, a screenshot from his computer, revealed a folder titled "Left 4 Dead 3."

VG 24/7 notes that the image was only briefly viewable and that it was quickly replaced by a different image when people began noticing the "L4D3" title.

While it is unclear if the "leak" was a legitimate error or was merely Valve's way of teasing the game, it nonetheless fueled a speculation frenzy and got fans of the video game franchise excited over a possible new sequel.

More recently, Game N Guide suggested that a potential "Left 4 Dead 3" could include at least four protagonists. These could be Katherine, Irvin, Keenan, and Garrett Jr.

The website also suggested that the six campaigns in "Left 4 Dead 3" could be called No Mercy, Impasse, Early Destination, Cliff Hanger, Crashland, and Inquisitor.

Valve has not released any official updates about "Left 4 Dead 3." It is nonetheless rumored for a 2017 release.