Summary
Xboxand Valve fans are calling forLeft 4 DeadandLeft 4 Dead 2to be added to Xbox Game Pass, or at the very least, the current Xbox Store. While previously available on the Xbox 360 marketplace, players on current-gen systems like the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are lamenting the limited availability of the Valve games, and want them added toXbox Game Pass.
Xbox players have actually been pointing out the difficulty of accessingLeft 4 Dead, as well as some of Valve’s other games, for a while now. When theXbox 360 store shut down, players were left with no way to digitally purchase the older games. Now, players are calling for a change.
Anew petition is asking Xboxand Valve to bringLeft 4 DeadandLeft 4 Dead 2back to the Xbox ecosystem via Xbox Game Pass or the game store. The petition starter, Jaclyn Menes, has pointed out that as gaming shifts to purely digital, older games are becoming less accessible. This subject has worried players, especially regardinggame preservation. While theLeft 4 Deadseries is still easily acquired on Steam for PC, it’s not available for purchase via Microsoft or the Xbox Store anymore, and players aren’t happy about it.
The Move to Digital Comes with Drawbacks
The gaming world is increasingly pivoting toward selling games digitally, due to increased convenience and a reduction in cost by cutting production and shipments of discs. This has led to console manufacturers releasing digital-only systems like the Xbox Series S, which can only work with digital copies of games. Thanks to backward compatibility,Left 4 Deadcan be played on newer Xbox systems, but only in one of two ways. Xbox owners have to either have previously purchased the game digitally before the Xbox 360 marketplace shut down, which can then be played through backward compatibility on a current Xbox Series X or S, or they need an Xbox Series X console with a disc drive and a physical copy of the game(s). Those who chosediscless digital consolesand didn’t purchase a digital version of the game prior to the delisting are simply out of luck at this time.
With games like thePortalseries coming to Nintendo Switch in recent times, it may come as a surprise to some gamers that Valve hasn’t re-released these games for newer Xbox consoles. The company may simply not be interested in pursuing that at this time, especially if it doesn’t think that it could generate enough profit to make it worthwhile. However, a recent leak indicates thatSteam could be coming to Xbox. If that turns out to be the case, Xbox gamers may be able to access Valve’s full library again.
