Turtle Rock Studios developed first Left 4 Dead
During the THQ sale, Turtle Rock Studios, the original developer of Left 4 Dead, were outbid by Take-Two Interactive on Evolve — Turtle Rock Studios’ own game.
But Turtle Rock Studios didn’t just lose the bid. They lost by more than $10 million. As a small independent developer, Turtle Rock Studios only put up $250,000 for Evolve. Take-Two Interactive bid $11 million.
The original documents from THQ’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing revealed THQ expected Turtle Rock Studios’ new game, which is supposed to be a “co-op action game,” to sell four million copies and provide about $40 million in profits — a very good showing for a new property.
Between the Take-Two bid and THQ’s estimates, it seems Turtle Rock Studios may be striking gold with their new franchise. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on, especially for fans of the original Left 4 Dead.
Turtle Rock Studios were originally acquired by Valve Corporation during the production of Left 4 Dead. The studio was shut down and integrated into Valve, but it reopened as an independent studio shortly after the release of Left 4 Dead with Valve’s vocal support.
The THQ sale shook up the game industry this week. Most of the news has surrounded the big franchises, including Sega buying Company of Heroes for $26 million and Koch Media buying Saints Row for $23 million. On Jan. 24, Gamebreaker reported on Darksiders not getting picked up, and how it led to one developer reflecting on his time in the industry. His conclusion: It’s worth it, but it requires resiliency.
What do you think? Does Turtle Rock Studios’ Evolve seem promising? Does Turtle Rock Studios’ history with Left 4 Dead give you confidence? Make sure to comment below.
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