Valve planning $25 million ad campaign for Left 4 Dead 2
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Oct 5th 2009 at 4:29PM } 
US zombie killers can expect to see ads during Monday Night Football and UFC bouts and also plastered on billboards, magazines and websites. European undead slayers will also bear witness to televised ads "during sports and lifestyle programming," some online marketing and traditional print and outdoor ads too.
Joystiq & Sons Advertising would like to offer the following marketing proposal to Valve: Door-to-door Zombie-grams. It's a lot like a candy-gram, except the delivery zombie eats the customer's brains.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Marius @ Oct 5th 2009 4:32PM
Wouldnt it have been better to spend that money on production, or a better looking engine
gordo @ Oct 5th 2009 4:34PM
I dunno, if I were to buy a new XBOX 360 It'd be for this.
CheeziePotato (PSN: talic10 | XBL: InfiniteMovie) @ Oct 5th 2009 4:38PM
They could have also used that money to make the game less similar to the first one. Same gameplay, not that noticeable updated graphics, it just seems like an expansion.
Obie @ Oct 5th 2009 4:50PM
Ya know, people love knocking the Source engine, but seriously, shut UP!
The engine is great! Sure it's doesnt' have that bump-mappy look of the Unreal engine. But what makes the Source engine is great is it's subtlety. It renders large, smooth running environments, with real-time lighting, with tons of fluidly animated characters.
And one thing that the engine does that still CANNOT be touched is facial animation. The way it animates faces and lipsynching, puts the majority of other engines to shame. Watch Alyx's face and dialog in Episode 3, and tell me comparable in the Halo, Unreal and even IW engine.
So please, with sugar on top, shut the fuck up.
AsherR [Planeteer | Power of The Hoff] @ Oct 5th 2009 4:54PM
*clap clap* Nice job Obie.
ducttapeBigSexy @ Oct 5th 2009 4:58PM
@Obie
"Watch Alyx's face and dialog in Episode 3..."
You should see it running on my Panasonic M2!
Obie @ Oct 5th 2009 5:03PM
LMAO, sorry. I got a bit ahead of myself. I mean Episode 2 obviously. :p
ifalldownstairs @ Oct 5th 2009 5:05PM
dammit, i was hoping you were from the future and could tell us when the hell Valve plans on getting Ep 3 out of the door
CaramelZappa @ Oct 5th 2009 5:05PM
Obie wins.
dAnixx @ Oct 5th 2009 5:15PM
The source engine is quite impressive for a 5year old engine. And it keeps getting better and better.
xFenixKnightx @ Oct 5th 2009 5:17PM
But the question remains, when is Valve gonna dev a new engine??? For the next gen Xbox720/PS4? Basically screwing this gen out? Kinda lame. I'm with Marius on this one. Whit eme out it doesnt matter just stating an opinion here.
CaramelZappa @ Oct 5th 2009 5:23PM
I think the time inbetween releases is still way too long, if they developed a new engine we wouldn't see valve for another 10 years. They've been constantly improving the engine, adding things and making it better with every game. It still looks great, and as Obie said, nothing comes close in facial animation, so I'd rather them continue to focus on making fantastic games than worry about things like bump mapping.
ifalldownstairs @ Oct 5th 2009 5:36PM
Valve really has 4 choices here with Half-Life and the Source Engine:
1) Make Ep 3 as the last game on the current Source engine, then scrap it for a more modern one
2) Develop a new engine, and debut Ep 3 as the first game to use it
3) Develop a new engine, scrap Ep 3 completely, and debut Half-Life 3 as the first game to use it
4) Attempt to keep piling modifications onto the Source engine and develop Ep 3 with no plans for a major overhaul.
Sly (Now equipped with DS!) @ Oct 5th 2009 5:43PM
i dunno, the uncharted engine kicks out some insane facial animations... but yeah, the source engine is kickass. it can run on damn near any computer from the past 7 years.
Travis @ Oct 5th 2009 6:46PM
Yawn. We are all still buying this/getting for Christmas.
Eh @ Oct 5th 2009 7:15PM
Take off your rose colored glasses, the Source engine is not nearly as good as modern day engines and the only reason it has lasted so long is because Valve keeps using it. Im not sure why Valve is clinging on to it for so long, other developers dont want to use it so its not like its been some cash cow that wont die like the Quake 3 engine was. Theyre the only ones using it and it just doesnt look very good anymore, the texture artists can only squeeze so much life out of it.
The Source engine had a good run, past tense.
Wes @ Oct 5th 2009 9:29PM
@xFenixKnightx
Uhh, there's no reason to make a new engine for the xbox 360 and PS3s sake. The Source engine already pushes the PS3 about as far as it can go. Literately. I mean, there were horrendous load times, mediorce fps. The only machine that can currently run the source engine with all the features turned on like HDR lightning, aa, af, etc at 1920x1080x60FPS is a PC.
Consoles of this generation are stll weak ass beasts pretending to be HD while natively rendering content at 640p. Really, its the next generation of PCs that stand a chance of being 'Full HD'. If the next console generation is still 3-4 years away though, its hard to say what the next engine needs to be like since we'd probably be using DX12 or DX13 by that time with Tessolation, gpu-supported physics, etc.
Making a DX11 engine at this point when the Source engine currently using DX10.1 features would be a small step up. It's almost better to keep doing minor improvements and working on the next engine like 1-year before the xbox 720/ps4. Don't worry though, xbox 360/ps3 users arne't getting screwed. Heck, the ps3 can bearly handle the source engine at its current lvl. We don't need to make it more taxing on the poor peice of sh...
HighFiveJesus @ Oct 5th 2009 9:53PM
So pretty please, with sugar on top.. clean out the fucking car.
Alex @ Oct 6th 2009 11:35AM
Obie;
Episode 3?!
Whaaa?!
Why wasn't I informed?
Maulok @ Oct 5th 2009 4:33PM
What about throwing a couple bucks to PS3 development?
A guy can dream, can't he?
Leobebes (BDF: Braid Defence Force) @ Oct 5th 2009 4:43PM
Or they can divvy up the $25 million to cheapskate PS3 owners who are too stubborn to purchase a 360. Let me see that comes out to 83,612 Xbox 360's, nevermind too small a number to make an impact I guess.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Oct 5th 2009 4:45PM
How can you say "Cheapskate" and "PS3" in the same sentence?? sure there are a few million people that have gotten a PS3 recently for the LOW LOW price of $299...but MOST of us payed more for our PS3 than you did your 360....
hell I HAVE a 360 and would rather play L4D2 on PC....and most likely will
Special Agent Steve @ Oct 5th 2009 4:50PM
PC=Free DLC.
Leobebes (BDF: Braid Defence Force) @ Oct 5th 2009 4:53PM
I am just dishing out anecdotal evidence from my experiences trolling video game blogs. You are a rare pearl in a sea of PS3 first owners who refuse to accept the 360 as a rival, let alone a market leader. At the same time I have met many 360 owners, including myself that have purchased a ps3 to compliment my 360 library.
Think about it, the Playstation brand dominated the video game landscape before 2005, for PS owners to change to the xbox brand it took technological open mindedness to take a plunge with another company, which I feel many Sony loyalists who have stuck with the PS1-PS3 and not even given the Xbox brand a chance lack.
Just my opinion.
Maulok @ Oct 5th 2009 4:56PM
Good call, S.A.Steve. I bought L4D on Steam originally, but my gaming rig just kicked the bucket. Wasn't hot to build another one right now, and I'm not looking to get a 360 since everyone I know has a PS3. Oh well, I'll just miss out until I get around to building a new PC maybe after the holidays.
m3nphls @ Oct 5th 2009 5:06PM
Not really chris....I agree that some of us paid $500-$600 for the PS3 at launch but i'm sure tons of people bought more than 1 or 2 xbox360's due to the RRoD
ifalldownstairs @ Oct 5th 2009 5:07PM
but Special Agent Steve, console = split screen, which is enough to validate the purchase for me. yeah, i have xbl and play it often, but nothing beats being able to hit your friend really hard when they screw something up
Special Agent Steve @ Oct 5th 2009 5:43PM
@ifalldownstairs
PC=Custom maps.
Einhanderkiller @ Oct 5th 2009 6:41PM
@ifalldownstairs,
The PC version of Left 4 Dead has split-screen.
CheeziePotato (PSN: talic10 | XBL: InfiniteMovie) @ Oct 5th 2009 4:35PM
$25 million? How much did it cost Sony for their new PS3 commercials?
Zinger314 @ Oct 5th 2009 4:36PM
599 US Dollars
dark_inchworm (stronger than never, ever before) @ Oct 5th 2009 4:53PM
...oh man... I chuckled at that one. Couldn't help it.
Tom Kalinske, CEO. @ Oct 5th 2009 5:00PM
I heard Kaz Hirai had to go get a second job to pay for them.
Zinger314 @ Oct 5th 2009 4:37PM
L4D2 was more pre-ordered than Half Life 2? I don't buy that.
Drew -- PS360: uphillbothways @ Oct 5th 2009 4:40PM
Riff raff, street rat...
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Oct 5th 2009 4:49PM
considering HL2 was initially released on PC and then a few years later as part of "The Orange Box" on Consoles, I'd believe it. As 360 and PC sale can be higher than just PC sales
FNG @ Oct 5th 2009 4:51PM
me either. especially when they are spending 25 mil to advertise. more pre-orders than half life 2 would me not much advertising needed.
CaramelZappa @ Oct 5th 2009 4:54PM
Half Life 2 was more critically acclaimed than L4D, but that doesn't mean it sold as well. When it first launched a lot of people stayed away from it because of steam. Plus take into account that not only is a zombie survival game more mainstream than something like HL2, but they also expanded it to the 360 audience. The industry as a whole is bigger than it ever was before, and L4D is the most mainstream game they've made, and is much more accessible. Not only that but I don't recall them advertising the Orange Box or HL2 all that much, while the L4D games have huge billboards everywhere. Of course the pre-orders are more than Half Life 2's were.
Dirty @ Oct 5th 2009 4:37PM
Sure it sounds like a lot, but marketing your product is extremely important. While we, the gaming elites of the world, know everything about the damn game, most folks don't. So before we start a big list of what you would have done with the money, please understand that those ad dollars help generate more sales, which in turn generates more money.
Dirty @ Oct 5th 2009 4:38PM
Also.... pull my finger.
Drew -- PS360: uphillbothways @ Oct 5th 2009 4:44PM
You're a walrus. If I'm gonna pull one finger, then I've gotta pull five. I'm not sure I can handle the consequences for that.
Solace @ Oct 5th 2009 4:38PM
I remember seeing a huge billboard in Manhattan for original L4D thinking that was pretty awesome for a video game.
CheeziePotato (PSN: talic10 | XBL: InfiniteMovie) @ Oct 5th 2009 4:42PM
Huge billboard advertisements FTW. I remember they did that with Street Fighter II, Super Mario 64, PS1, and the Genesis.
Wes @ Oct 5th 2009 9:24PM
No kidding, they need to start working on this huge billboard systems. I mean, were not going to get Androids till billboards are at least 5-6x their current size, electronic and with moving 3d pictures. Hasn't anyone see a sci-fi movie? Remember the Fifth Element billboards? Blade runner billboards?
HighFiveJesus @ Oct 5th 2009 4:42PM
i really wish i could go back and tell myself not to buy the first one because I won't be disappointed and would be much more excited and also happier that i waited one year to play what the first should have been. Can we expect left4dead 3 in a year? maybe i should keep waiting.
warrenEBB @ Oct 5th 2009 4:51PM
Man, the first one was great wasn't it? i can't wait for the sequel!
CaramelZappa @ Oct 5th 2009 5:01PM
Valve spoiled us and now we expect everything for free. Especially after the Orange Box was packed with so much value.
But thing of it this way, people buy every Call of Duty game each year, what's wrong with Valve having a franchise like that to help fund their other projects, like Episode 3?
I'm not buying L4D2 until a steam sale hits, but it's more because I never played L4D much anyways, I'm not bitter about it like everyone else seems to be.
HighFiveJesus @ Oct 5th 2009 5:27PM
It was ok, it is a lot better now that all the extras have trickled out.
I don't buy into any yearly franchise, period. I've only owned COD4 and then i DID get world at war because 1, i hadn't played the originals and 2, i probably won't get modern warfare 2, at least not in the next year.
I'm looking forward to Black Mesa Source more than any other game this year. Assuming they get that shit finished.
CaramelZappa @ Oct 5th 2009 5:34PM
Black Mesa source, I wish they would finish that up. I completely forgot about it.
stickweed @ Oct 5th 2009 4:45PM
I doubt we'll see this ad here in Aus.... :(