Speculations are rife that Valve Corporation is now prioritizing "Left 4 Dead 3" over "Half-Life 3."

Valve, an American video game developer, previously sparked rumors of the production of "Left 4 Dead 3" when they used some of its reported components to demonstrate their source engine 2.

Other reports also claim that someone anonymously leaked information pertaining to "Left 4 Dead 3" while on a tour of their establishment. The leak was reportedly seen via Valve's bug tracking database.

Rumors were also abound that "Left 4 Dead 3" would serve as a prequel and will show events before the zombie outbreak took place. Reports also point out that additional new characters will debut on the zombie-themed game. Three male characters and one female character will supposedly be added.

The rumor also stemmed from a YouTube video that showed a game tackling the origins of the zombies from the "Left 4 Dead" series. The video was taken off, but was subsequently re-uploaded by other YouTube users.

Kotaku, however, slammed these rumors when they revealed an email sent to them by Chet Faliszek, a writer for Valve. The email read:

"This is a 100% Overkill made mission for Payday: Heist simply set in no mercy hospital from the 'Left 4 Dead' series. It is not telling the origins of the Infection and is not canon. There is a little cameo from one of the L4D characters (the comic should give you a hint) and a fun little easter egg with a payoff later in 'Left 4 Dead.' Just us having some fun with a studio we are friends with and who have also made a great co-op game."

Regardless of what "Left 4 Dead 3" might be about, it looks like fans of "Half-Life 3" will have to wait a little while longer if rumors turn out to be true that the game-making and distribution company plans on pushing it back to focus more on the former.

Details of its production and release date have yet to be announced.