Former Valve writer says Left 4 Dead 2 trailer leak was staged
Valve itself organized the alleged leak of a trailer for Left 4 Dead 2 in 2009 because the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) did not allow the video to be officially released. Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek spoke about this in a new video, Ars Technica reports.
According to Faliszek, Valve distributed the video as a “leak,” expecting it to quickly spread across the internet and help promote the game. He also said that the company was arguing with the ESRB at the time, as well as with Australia, Germany, and other countries, over profanity and violence in Left 4 Dead 2.
Advertising restrictions
At the time, ESRB rules governed not only game age ratings but also the content of advertising materials. The guidelines prohibited trailers from showing overly explicit or excessive scenes of violence, weapon use, blood and gruesome scenes, as well as coarse or offensive language.
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Earlier in 2009, the ESRB required Valve to change a promotional image for Left 4 Dead 2. It showed a hand with three bitten-off fingers and two intact fingers indicating the sequel’s number. For the version later used on the game’s cover, the company restored two fingers to the image by bending them.
The footage was included in the game
Faliszek acknowledged that the leak was intentional and noted that nearly 20 years have already passed, so there are unlikely to be consequences for it. When the video appeared in 2009, some users already doubted that it had been published without Valve’s involvement.
The same footage from the “leak” was later used as the opening cinematic scene of Left 4 Dead 2. The game received an M for Mature rating from the ESRB. Current updated ESRB advertising rules explicitly allow trailers to use game footage or staged and pre-rendered scenes, provided they correspond to the game’s content and do not exceed the level of content found in it.
