The previously unannounced game by Bad Robot Games Playstation signed to publish has now been announced at the 2025 The Game Awards.
Called 4:Loop, the 4-player co-op shooter is helmed by Mike Booth, the lead designer of the seminal co-op shooter Left 4 Dead, hence the number 4 on the title.
But it makes for a double entendre to the programming concept of a for loop, in the that 4:Loop will require you to try and try again, where the break sequence here is when you, a party of 1-4 players, save the world.
There’s no harm in failing, you’ll just get resurrected again by some extraterrestrial demanding you to try it all again from the top, no harm done outside of some existential dread of being stuck in a literal for loop. At least it’s all in a video game.
(Despite the similar sounding name, 4:Loop is vastly different to Deathloop. While the latter forces you to repeat the same sequence of days until you gain the right knowledge to break the cycle, the cycle in 4:Loop is more rougelike-ish, there is randomness at play.)
On top of the new reveal trailer that reveals the world setup and the try-and-try again loop concept, there’s an interview with Mike Booth on the PlayStation Blog with interesting tidbits which includes:
- 4:Loop has open-ended areas instead of following linear paths in Left 4 Dead
- You can carry a downed friend. “Something I always wanted in Left 4 Dead.”
- Items can be used to “break” the game that leads to unintentional collision of systems. Example: Blink Berry is a grenade that teleports surrounding things to a random location can be used to teleport yourself out of harm’s way
- Splits into three Acts
- Players can improve their equipment at the end of each Act, creating their own kit
- Boss battles at the end of an Act
- There is meta progression, so it should be a roguelite not a roguelike
4:Loop will be coming to PS5 and PC (Steam). There will be closed playtests offered, should you and your gang find this enticing.