Valve To Launch $25 Million Left 4 Dead 2 Ad Campaign

Valve Software said Monday that it is supporting the upcoming zombie-fest Left 4 Dead 2 with a $25 million ad campaign, substantially more than the $10 million ad campaign behind last year's original Left 4 Dead. "Based on the strength of pre-orders, Left 4 Dead 2 will be the fastest-selling product in Valve's history," said Valve president Gabe Newell. "Left 4 Dead 2 has consistently run at 300 percent of Left 4 Dead's numbers." Valve launched the original IP Left 4 Dead in November last year, and as of September this year has sold almost 3 million units worldwide, according to Valve. The sequel is slated to arrive this November on PC and Xbox 360. "Left 4 Dead 2 has already set the record for greatest number of pre-orders in our company's history, and we're still over a month out from shipping," said Valve marketing boss Doug Lombardi. Valve said that in the U.S., the new ad campaign will include Monday Night Football and UFC television broadcasts, roadside billboards, and "popular lifestyle and gaming sites." In Europe, Valve said it plans a "more aggressive" campaign than last year's, placing TV ads during sports and lifestyle programming, online and print, and outdoor ads. Electronic Arts is publishing Left 4 Dead 2 through its EA Partners program. Like its predecessor, Left 4 Dead 2's gameplay is based around cooperative multiplayer gameplay that has players fending off waves of zombies.