A new leak may show that Valve may be working on "Left 4 Dead 3" for release sometime in the near future, ending the wait players have had to endure from the notoriously silent game company about the next entry into one of their most popular franchises.

The alleged leak was posted by a NeoGAF user under the title "l4d3?" The post shows the Plantation finale map rebuilt with the Source 2.0 Engine. This map, originally found in "Left 4 Dead 2," has been updated with new graphics using the game engine that was previously rumored to be the driving force behind "Left 4 Dead 3."

This leak seems to show that Valve is working on the game in some capacity, if these screenshots are indeed of a new game in the series. One thing that could possibly validate this leak as being legitimate is the fact that valve has a history of updating older maps from the series and importing them to the new game. For example Valve ported the four original maps from "Left 4 Dead" with updated graphics to "Left 4 Dead 2," so it is possible for "Left 4 Dead 3" that Valve does the same thing with the Source 2.0 engine.

In any case, Valve has been silent for the most part on both the status of "Left 4 Dead 3" as well as "Half-Life 3." These two games are some of the most mysterious titles in gaming, as Valve refuses to comment on the games and the only information that comes to fans is through leaks such as this.

One thing that may push Valve to release "Left 4 Dead 3" and confirm the legitimacy of this leak is the upcoming Steam Machines. The new console initiative allows over a dozen different manufacturers to create their own version of a console with Steam OS as the operating system. This would allow future Steam games along with many of the current games on the service to be played like a traditional console game.

If Valve wants to ensure that gamers take to the new consoles, then the company could announce that "Left 4 Dead 3" is officially in the works and on track for a near future release date around the time that the Steam Machines become available. However, given Valve's track record for "Left 4 Dead 3," the company may not have a release date planned for the game despite what this leak might show.