Ben-DutkaIn some ways, this is good news, in others…well, it just proves once again that Valve's bias seems to be standing in the way of objectivity when it comes to the PlayStation 3.
Obviously, Left 4 Dead for the PS3 is still just a rumor, and it's well known that Valve (and especially Gabe Newell) isn't a fan of Sony's next-gen machine. However, as any developer should do, Valve has been "evaluating what's happening the marketplace," and now, they may have to rethink their stance a bit. As a result, Left 4 Dead is suddenly more of a possibility. According to CVG, Valve's Doug Lombardi had this to say about the situation:
"We're always evaluating what's happening in the marketplace and certainly something that's happening in the last couple of months is that Sony's managed to sell some boxes. So whether or not you like developing for that platform, if they've got millions of people connected to that platform and buying their games you have to take it seriously. They're in the race now, so we've got to re-evaluate that for what it is."
Of course, they still say the PC is their primary format and due to the obvious hardware similarities, the Xbox 360 is second on the studio's list. But at the same time, taking the previous comments into consideration, Lombardi did say there's a "50-50" chance that Left 4 Dead will come to the PS3. However, he did add there's "zero chance" of it arriving any time in 2008, which means it's something PS3 owners would have to wait for, either way. But beyond all this, we do have a small problem with the statements made…
Look, if you were "evaluating the marketplace" all the time, you should've been able to conclude the PS3 was on the steady rise as of very early 2008. The PS3 has been outselling the 360 for months now, and most every other major developer on earth has realized that embracing Sony's console would probably be a good idea. As far as we're concerned, the only reason Valve didn't is because they just don't like the system. Which is fine; just don't hide behind this, "oh, gee, the PS3 is 'in the race now'" nonsense. They were always in the race. The PS3's position has changed of course, but it was never going to withdraw, and it certainly was never standing on the sidelines.
Related Game(s): Left 4 Dead
