Back 4 Blood has been delayed by nearly four months

Back 4 Blood, the upcoming zombie game from the original developer of Left 4 Dead, has been delayed by around four months.

In an announcement this afternoon, developer Turtle Rock Studios said that it's "working hard to make Back 4 Blood the best game it can possibly be and the team needs more time to do this." As a result, the launch of the upcoming horde shooter has been pushed back from June 22 to its new release date of October 12, 2021.

Development on Back 4 Blood had seemed to be progressing relatively smoothly. After its announcement in 2019, an closed alpha test in December last year showed off some classic Left 4 Dead-style zombie bashing, upgraded for a new generation and with a few new twists on the formula thrown in. Turtle Rock has been quiet for the past few months, but there's been nothing - until now - to suggest the need for any extra time.

Of course, Back 4 Blood isn't the first high-profile game to be delayed in recent months. Hogwarts Legacy was pushed back to 2022 in January, followed last week by Gotham Knights, and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was delayed indefinitely in February after a troubled development that led to the original studio, Hardsuit Labs, being ousted by publisher Paradox. Game development schedules can be disrupted for any number of reasons throughout the process, and it's likely that we're starting to feel the additional effects of the Covid-19 pandemic with this recent spate of delays.

When it eventually gets here, Back 4 Blood could be in contention for a spot on our list of the best zombie games.