'Left 4 Dead 3' news: SteamVR leak hints at day-and-night cycle and nocturnal zombies

Valve

The SteamVR Performance Test, a new benchmarking tool to aid players in determining if their rig can properly run virtual reality video games at full performance, also came with a few files that hinted at the existence of "Half-Life 3" and "Left 4 Dead 3."

According to a report from Escapist Magazine, these leaked directories and the files within them could mean nothing at all. It could simply be a batch of assets used to test SteamVR or they could have been included as a prank directed at the consumers who have been waiting for "Left 4 Dead 3" and "Half-Life 3" for a decade and counting.

Within the files discovered, there was a new batch of data that indicated there may be a new day-and-night cycle to be included in "Left 4 Dead 3." This would be the first time in the franchise that a day-and-night cycle would be included as previous entries in the series had levels specifically set during the night or during the daytime.

Another piece of evidence hinting at this shift in-game time was the hint of a new zombie referred to as "the nocturnal." As its name suggests, this zombie may only be present when the sun goes down and could be a new powerful threat akin to the Witch from previous games.

New texture files for "Left 4 Dead 3" and "Half-Life 3" were also evident but their purpose for being included is still a mystery. There is one noted as the "retired engineer" although it is unclear at this point if this is meant to be a future playable character or if it is designed solely as an NPC.

Valve has not made any official comment or announcement in regards to the leaked info. As per usual, no official answers have been released regarding the existence or future plans Valve may have for either "Left 4 Dead 3" or "Half-Life 3."