Valve announces The Passing for L4D2

By Tom Bramwell Published 15 December, 2009

Fresh campaign boasts original survivors.

Valve has announced that the first downloadable add-on for Left 4 Dead 2 will be called The Passing and is due out in spring 2010 for PC and Xbox 360.

Pricing will be announced "closer to launch".

The Passing is set in rural Georgia just after L4D2's Dead Center campaign and brings the current team of survivors together with the foursome from the first game.

Valve has said players will control the L4D2 team, but the press release doesn't rule out a handover at some point.

The Passing will consist of a new co-operative campaign, which will also introduce new Survival, Scavenge and Versus arenas.

On top of that, there will be a new gun, a new melee weapon and a new uncommon common infected.

Valve's Doug Lombardi has said The Passing will be "a huge offering of new gameplay content, with something new for every game mode plus a new uncommon common and weaponry".

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About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (28) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Ignatius_Cheese #1 2 years ago

    Nice and early, Valve! Bringing across the original campaigns next...?

  • Emmit_Assassin #2 2 years ago

    So they announce dlc this early for l4d2? Yet they still havent even released all they promised for l4d? f**k off you money grabbing pricks.

  • Lukree #3 2 years ago

    Niiice! Would also like to see original campaigns in l4d2.

  • sargulesh #4 2 years ago

    DLC for DLC. Nice. Only in 2009.

  • Fellblade #5 2 years ago

    "Yet they still havent even released all they promised for l4d?"
    What DLC did they promise for L4D that they haven't released?

  • noobjob #6 2 years ago

    @ fellblade
    i think what he means is that valve said they would keep updating l4d1 which so far they haven't they just brought out crash course

  • Fellblade #7 2 years ago

    Allllll they've done is convert the other two campaigns for versus, patch it a load of times, bring out a whole new game mode, added a completely new level for said game mode, and added on a new mini-campaign for versus. For free.

    Yup, they defeinitely haven't kept updating L4D, and "all" they've done is release a new mini campaign.

  • ChthonicEcho #8 2 years ago

    What DLC did they promise for L4D that they haven't released?

    I'll be neg'd to Hell and back, and Yossarian will be quick to quote me, but... oh, well!

    Let's see. For Left 4 Dead 1, they had promised new full-length campaigns, weapons, infected and, if I recall correctly, survivors. They had said they wanted the game to have the longevity of Counter-Strike. Now, for Left 4 Dead 2, they promised to look into backwards compatibility of some sort. They have announced this additional content prior to fixing glaring bugs and exploits, too.

    On the other hand, it's set to appear in early spring. By that time, most of the bugs and exploits should be eliminated. I am all for this new content, but backwards compatibility would urge those who own only Left 4 Dead 2 to buy Left 4 Dead 1. This way, the first one game doesn't die, the sequel gets a backwards expansion pack, of sorts, Valve gets money, we get additional content - everyone's happy. I don't see why they don't do it.

  • ignatiusjreilly #9 2 years ago

    I don't see why they don't do it.

    Because it wouldn't work on 360, and more than any other Valve title, Left 4 Dead is a 360 game.

  • Ignatius_Cheese #10 2 years ago

    @ ChthonicEcho - None of what was supposedly promised for L4D1 was ever officially announced and, as such, any previous promises in interviews etc. are nothing more than empty PR promises...

    Like you say, the best we can hope for is backward compatibility for the previous campaigns to keep that game alive.

  • kinky_mong #11 2 years ago

    *BREAKING NEWS* Internet warriors still fail to understand game developers are businesses that need to make money! More at eleven!

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #12 2 years ago

    I must admit, it surprised me that, in the PC version at least, they don't merge the server browsers and let you launch campaigns for either game without having to quit and load the other one. I guess the integrated Steam friends list (and the XBL equivalent) at least lets you see where the people you play with are at.

    I wonder if having a campaign that features both sets of survivors is some symbolic crossover point for them allowing the campaigns of L4D1 to be played in 2 and vice versa (though presumably only for people who have bought both games). A bit of disc-swapping could probably enable that on the Xbox, too.

  • ignatiusjreilly #13 2 years ago

    What would be great is some kind of matchup between the two games - the survivors from L4D1 and from L4D2 working together (or against each other) to gather resources from the map while 8 infected try to stop them.

    Or maybe just a normal map where the survivors from each game start at opposite ends of the map and meet in the middle for a big event/showdown then go their separate ways.

    If it's just a campaign for L4D2 with a brief cameo from the original survivors then I think it will be a missed opportunity.

  • bad09 #14 2 years ago

    Nice. This is the stuff that's free on PC right?

    / pokes two fingers up to MS and smuggly pats PC version of L4D2

    This whole "valve are thieving scum" stuff should really stop. IW/Acti breaking records with a very bland (and quite crap online) 6th effort in the COD series in 6 years, the likes of Capcom and EA whoring DLC in quite disgusting ways and you people moan at Valve?

    I happily play BOTH L4Ds along side each other and will do for a LONG time (even without unconfirmed and unknown content we are apparently "owed";). I've seen the reasoning people state for their upset but just don't see it myself. Why the hell people are complaining so much just because poor old Valve gave us 2 really great games in a short period (for them) instead of 1 with loads of DLC?

  • viper_h #15 2 years ago

    Hoping it's free on PC... Also hoping there might be an 8-player coop or 16-player Vs mode. That would be epic...

    Edit: If it's not free on PC I'll still be buying it as this is one of the few games released this DECADE that's worthy of my money.
    Edited by 1 at 15/12/09 @ 10:28

  • ignatiusjreilly #16 2 years ago

    @bad09

    Asking/answering that question will just get a shitstorm of negative ratings and 'whiny bitches' posts. If you want to know there are some very long comments threads on other L4D stories that spell out the reasons. if you don't agree with them after reading it's best just to let the issue lie.

  • asphaltcowboy #17 2 years ago

    Good news! However this: Pricing will be announced "closer to launch".

    Inevitably means: Free on PC, subsidised by 360 users.

  • cnlfailure #18 2 years ago

    This is good news.

    Given the amount of time I sink into L4Dx they can pile on as much extra content as they like and I'll be a happy monkey.

  • steviepunk #19 2 years ago

    Assuming that you don't get to play as the original survivors in this expansion, what would be good is to have an expansion for the first game as well that is played from their perspective.

    But equally, bringing the original campaigns to L4D2 would also be good.

  • ChthonicEcho #20 2 years ago

    None of what was supposedly promised for L4D1 was ever officially announced and, as such, any previous promises in interviews etc. are nothing more than empty PR promises...

    I agree that validity of those promises is arguable, seeing as not even an ounce of promised content was truly announced. On the other hand, they were never 'empty PR promises', because they were mentioned more than once by different developers from Valve, from Chet Faliszek to Robin Walker and others, none of whom were true PR representatives.

    Furthermore, there are plenty of examples where promised yet unannounced DLC eventually sees the light of day. The most recent example would be BioWare promising copious amounts of additional content for Dragon Age. And, surely enough, they are delivering on that front.

    Valve was never obliged to deliver content they had outlined for Left 4 Dead 1. It is a matter of business etiquette, and little else. Valve did not help extinguish this Internet-wide scandal by continuing to make promises regarding Left 4 Dead 1 instead of explaining that they had given the business model a second thought and considered that a highly improved sequel would work better. Left 4 Dead 2 is a very good game. They just mishandled its announcement and marketing.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #21 2 years ago

    I suspect it's a campaign that can be played both in L4D1 and L4D2 (possibly from opposite ends?) and at some point, one team will see the other one in a typically valve G-man style cameo, as they pass in the middle. Possibly as part of some panic event, similar to the through-the-locked-door ones at the Church or with the cola guy.

    I believe Valve have said that they still had plans for more content for Left 4 Dead 1, even though 2 has shipped, so this may be it.

    Just noticed the name "The Passing", now I'm sure this is what it will be.
    Edited by 2 at 15/12/09 @ 11:43

  • ignatiusjreilly #22 2 years ago

    @Mentalist(air)

    I suspect you're right, and this will be new content for both L4D1 and L4D2.

  • ChthonicEcho #23 2 years ago

    I suspect it's a campaign that can be played both in L4D1 and L4D2 (possibly from opposite ends?) and at some point, one team will see the other one in a typically valve G-man style cameo, as they pass in the middle.

    I haven't thought of that. Good point. +1.

  • FogHeart #24 2 years ago

    Chthonic said it best - not vindictive, not moneygrabbing, just badly handled....

    More than an extra campaign, I'd like to see the original characters and maps ported across. The gameplay is now more complex and involving, but to many players the look and feel of the game has taken a step backwards. As one player noted on the Valve forums, he is now hitting clowns with frying pans. To that I'd add driving stunt cars and running along rollercoasters.

    Creatively the game had to go somewhere, so making it nore humourous, with redneck characters and bizarre situations, was a valid choice. But I want the grim horror of L4D1 back. Albeit with all the goodies (and baddies) of L4D2.

    The original characters in a Hard Rain style storm would own.

  • Rubarack #25 2 years ago

    Here's hoping the PC version actually works by then and it's £5 or less. Any more and Valve will have boarded the ripoff DLC bandwagon and that would be a real shame.

  • TheTingler #26 2 years ago

    If they don't meet each other Shaun of the Dead style I will boycott L4D3.

  • ignatiusjreilly #27 2 years ago

    "are the people suggesting l4d and l4d2 players on the same server smoking crack?"

    Why is it a bad idea?

  • viper_h #28 2 years ago

    are the people suggesting l4d and l4d2 players on the same server smoking crack?

    No... But I'm starting to think you are!