Back 4 Blood, Turtle Rock Studios' love letter to the hit zombie shoot-em-up Left 4 Dead, is edging closer to its intended release date. As details emerged a couple of days ago that the anticipated action title will be getting a beta this summer, fans are likely keeping their ears to the ground for any more information to whet the appetite, possibly related to Xbox Game Pass. With that, there are speculations that the game is possibly being considered for release on Microsoft's gaming subscription service soon after, or even on, the day of its release.
That's according to a report which cites a now-deleted YouTube video that originally made the claim. In the video's description, it seemed as though Back 4 Blood was being, or had been, announced as coming to Game Pass at launch for Xbox Series X|S and PC. Unfortunately, at the time of this article going live, the video has been set to private with no official word from the developer, publisher or even Microsoft itself whether this is true or not.
RELATED: Back 4 Blood Announces PvP Gameplay Reveal Date
Earlier in the year, Microsoft's Phil Spencer announced exciting things coming to Game Pass including a focus on third-party titles. As many are already aware, first-party Xbox titles are usually given priority on the cloud service, while third-party software often arrives a little later. If the speculations are true, then this could signify a change in how Microsoft reacts to third-party releases by adding them to Game Pass as soon as they are launched.
While earlier in the week Warner Bros. confirmed that most of its big games would not be in attendance, the company will still be at the event and will be showcasing Back 4 Blood which will feature an in-depth look at the game's PvP mode. Fans who are interested in the demonstration can check out the show on Sunday, June 13 at 2:00pm PT. Whether Warner Bros. will speak about the game coming to Xbox Game Pass is anybody's guess at this stage.
Considered a spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead series, with many of the developers of the Valve franchise now working at Turtle Rock, Back 4 Blood has already received positive feedback from the community. Back in December 2020, a closed alpha became playable for a limited time, in which fans got to experience the high-octane shooter in its earlier stages. While too early to tell at this point, the game is arguably shaping up to be a strong asset to the FPS world and an opportunity to make it available on Game Pass straight out the door would possibly be a popular move.
Back 4 Blood is set for release on October 12, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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Source: VGC